Eligibility, any sex, with Spray or Pain. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov
Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.
Presence of Microbial Growth (1+ CFU)Primary· Skin samples were swabbed within 20 seconds of Ethyl Chloride or Pain Ease application, and then swabs were cultured for 3 days before checking for the presence of CFU.
Number of skin samples that were positive for bacterial growth following treatment with ChloraPrep and then application of a topical refrigerant spray (Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride or Gebauer's Pain Ease), when the area was swabbed and cultured for three days. A sample was considered positive if 1 or more colony forming units were present per swab.
Samples with positive growth after application of ChloraPrep followed by topical refrigerant spray
Group
Value
95% CI
Wrist, Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride
2
Lower Back, Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride
1
Wrist, Gebauer's Pain Ease
1
Lower Back, Gebauer's Pain Ease
1
Samples with positive growth after application of ChloraPrep
Group
Value
95% CI
Wrist, Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride
1
Lower Back, Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride
0
Wrist, Gebauer's Pain Ease
0
Lower Back, Gebauer's Pain Ease
2
Samples with positive growth before ChloraPrep treatment (positive control)
Group
Value
95% CI
Wrist, Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride
68
Lower Back, Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride
63
Wrist, Gebauer's Pain Ease
65
Lower Back, Gebauer's Pain Ease
49
Sponsor's own description
This study aims to determine if Gebauer's Pain Ease or Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride topical anesthetic sprays are safe for use as numbing agents prior to placing epidurals and arterial lines, based on whether they introduce increased microbial growth after application to skin. Due to the recent national shortage of lidocaine, we hope to find a suitable alternative to lidocaine for topical analgesia when placing arterial lines and epidurals. Our hypothesis is that the sprays will not affect the sterility of the area. We will compare microbial growth from three subsequent swabs taken from a single area of skin on the wrist and lower back: one with no treatment, the second after treatment with ChloraPrep, and the third after applying one of the numbing sprays. If there is significantly higher growth in the swabs containing the topical anesthetic spray versus the ChloraPrep alone, this will indicate that the sprays introduce microbes to the sites of skin.
Publications & conference data
1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):
Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
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Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by Henry Ford Health System
Last refreshed: 4 March 2024
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