Table 1. Comparison of lidocaine versus EMLA cream following LP.

	EMLA cream	Lidocaine	p -Value
LP and local analgesia characteristics
Initial randomized local analgesic	5 (50%)	5 (50%)
Adverse local reaction to analgesic	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Minutes between local analgesic and start of LP, median (min–max)	145 (85–213)	2 (1–6)
Amount of lidocaine, mL, median (min–max)	–	2 (1.5–3.0)
Number of lidocaine sticks, median (min–max)	–	1 (1–3)
LP needle sticks, median (min–max)	1 (1–3)	1 (1–5)
Required more 1 LP needle stick	2 (20%)	2 (20%)
Resident involvement in lumber puncture	2 (20%)	3 (30%)	1.00
Signs of pain with local analgesia  Increase in heart rate  Movement	0 (0%)	5 (50%) 1 4	0.03
Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale Scores
Baseline, pre-LP Any reported pain (WBS > 0) Pre-LP, median (min–max)	0 (0%) 0 (0–0)	0 (0%) 0 (0–0)
30–60 minutes post-LP Any reported pain (WBS > 0) 30–60 minutes post-LP, median (min–max)	0 (0%) 0 (0–0)	0 (0%) 0 (0–0)
24 hours post-LP Any reported pain (WBS > 0) 24 hours post-LP, median (min–max)	2 (20%) 0 (0–8)	3 (30%) 0 (0–8)	1.00 0.79
PRN pain medication 24 hours post-LP
Acetaminophen Any reported pain, n (%) mg, median (min–max)	1 (10%) 0 (0–325)	2 (20%) 0 (0–1290)	1.00 0.18
Opioid Any reported pain, n (%) mg, median (min–max)	0 (0%) 0 (0–0)	1 (10%) 0 (0–5.325)	1.00 0.32

Abbreviations: LP, lumbar puncture; PRN, pro re nata; WBS, Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale.