NYU Langone Hospital for Joint Diseases' Center for Children, part of the new Hassenfeld Pediatric Center, is the first pediatric hospital in the Metropolitan New York area to introduce the J-tip needle-free anesthetic system. The J-tip is a unique syringe that uses a small canister of pressurized carbon dioxide instead of a needle to push buffered Lidocaine (1%) into the skin, numbing the area before a venous procedure, such as drawing blood, in less than a minute.
"Needle procedures are particularly frightening for children, so it's important to embrace techniques that safely and effectively reduce pain or enhance their experience in the hospital," said Norman Y. Otsuka, MD, professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery and director, Center for Children. "Children with chronic pediatric conditions often require multiple venipunctures over the course of their treatment, so eliminating any initial trauma will decrease anxiety at subsequent visits - making the process less stressful for the child and their family."
Pediatric patients can still receive a topical eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream to desensitize the needle insertion point - but the process can take 30 minutes to one hour to sufficiently anesthetize the area. The J-tip uses Lidocaine, a fast-acting local anesthetic more commonly injected with a needle for dental procedures and minor surgeries.
"Parents are particularly relieved at how much faster the process is using the J-tip," said Stephanie Begert, RN, a staff registered nurse at the Center or Children who identified and helped bring the technology to the hospital. "Because the J-tip works so quickly, it diminishes the anxiety in the children -particularly those with difficult veins that may require an additional needle stick."
In January, the Center for Children began a pilot program using the J-tip to prepare pediatric patients prior to having blood drawn before surgery. Clinicians at the Center for Children anticipate the J-tip will be used across all pediatric orthopaedic services, potentially expand to other pediatric services and even to adult surgery and infusion therapy, where IV lines and multiple needle sticks are needed.
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