Effect of Child Position on Pain Experience During Lumbar Puncture: A Prospective Pilot Study

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of patient's position on pain and anxiety during lumbar puncture (LP). Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial included children between 2 and 18 years old receiving at least 2 therapeutic LPs. They were randomly assigned to undergo lateral decubitus position or sitting position LP. Primary outcome was the maximum LP-induced pain, secondary endpoint the maximum LP-induced anxiety score. Results: Twenty-eight patients were randomized. For patients under 6 years old, mean of Face, Leg, Activity, Cry, and Consolability were 2.8/10 +/- 3.0 (median=1) at first time and 1.5 +/- 1.7 (median=1) at second time. For patients 6 to 18 years old, mean of visual analog scale were 2.2 +/- 2.2 (median=1.5) at first time and 3.2 +/- 2.8 (median=3) at second time. There was no significant differences according to position on anxiety among children. Conclusions: Results did not demonstrate whether lateral decubitus position could generate less pain and anxiety than sitting position.