Annals of emergency medicine
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Double-blinded comparison of diphenhydramine versus lidocaine as a local anesthetic.
To evaluate the efficacy, onset of action, duration of action, and side effects of 1% diphenhydramine compared with 1% lidocaine when used as a local anesthetic agent. ⋯ The duration of local anesthesia for 1% lidocaine was significantly longer and the depth of anesthesia after 30 minutes was significantly higher than that of 1% diphenhydramine. Diphenhydramine resulted in skin necrosis in one test subject.