Application of lidocaine injection for the cannulation of arteriovenous fistulas in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.

Background: To investigate the efficacy of lidocaine injection for the cannulation of arteriovenous fistulas in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD).

Methods: The clinical data of 91 patients who underwent arteriovenous fistula puncture and maintenance HD at our hospital from December 2023 to July 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into groups based on the different pre-cannulation treatment methods. The control group (n = 43) underwent cannulation after routine disinfection, whereas the study group (n = 48) underwent cannulation following a local injection of 0.2% lidocaine.

Results: The cannulation success rate was significantly higher in the study group (97.92%) than in the control group (81.40%). After cannulation, the heart rate and the systolic blood pressure in the study group were notably lower than those in the control group. After cannulation, the scores of the study group on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale were markedly lower than those of the control group. Pain levels in the study group were also significantly lower than those in the control group. The General Comfort Questionnaire and total scores in the study group were also significantly lower than those in the control group. The complication rate in the intervention group (2.08%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (18.60%), and the satisfaction rate in the study group was 95.83% (46/48), which was significantly higher than that in the control group (79.07% (34/43)).

Conclusions: Local injection of 0.2% lidocaine effectively alleviated pain during arteriovenous fistula cannulation, improved comfort, and reduced complications in maintenance HD patients.