EMLA cream used to decrease injection pain contains which anesthetics?

EMLA cream used to decrease injection pain contains which anesthetics?

• A. Lidocaine and Prilocaine
• B. Procaine and Prilocaine
• C. Lidocaine and Bupivacaine
• D. Tetracaine and Prilocaine

Answer: (A)

EMLA cream provides topical skin anesthesia by using a eutectic mixture of local anesthetics designed to penetrate the skin. The standard combination in this preparation is lidocaine with prilocaine, which together create effective surface anesthesia for needle injections. The two are amide-type local anesthetics chosen specifically for this topical blend, and the formulation lowers their melting points to allow skin penetration when applied under an occlusive dressing. The other pairings listed are not the components of EMLA. Also, be mindful that prilocaine carries a methemoglobinemia risk in certain patients, so use is guided by age and clinical context.

EMLA cream provides topical skin anesthesia by using a eutectic mixture of local anesthetics designed to penetrate the skin. The standard combination in this preparation is lidocaine with prilocaine, which together create effective surface anesthesia for needle injections. The two are amide-type local anesthetics chosen specifically for this topical blend, and the formulation lowers their melting points to allow skin penetration when applied under an occlusive dressing. The other pairings listed are not the components of EMLA. Also, be mindful that prilocaine carries a methemoglobinemia risk in certain patients, so use is guided by age and clinical context.