Trial reportPaediatric anaesthesia2025
The Effectiveness of Bubble-Blowing as a Distraction Technique During Pediatric Intravenous Cannulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Paediatric anaesthesia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05899452 (Bubble Blowing As an Effective Method for Distraction During Pediatric IV Insertion), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Bubble Blowing As an Effective Method for Distraction During Pediatric IV Insertion: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Comparison of the effectiveness of two active distraction methods in reducing pain, fear, and anxiety in children during venipuncture: a randomized controlled trial.BMC pediatrics · 2026Trial
- The Effectiveness of Bubble-Blowing as a Distraction Technique During Pediatric Intravenous Cannulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Paediatric anaesthesia · 2025Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIntravenous cannulation is a standard but potentially painful procedure. Distraction techniques can alleviate this discomfort by shifting attention from perceived pain. Bubble-blowing is an active distraction technique that combines breathing exercises and play therapy to alleviate pain and anxiety.
aimsTo assess the effectiveness of bubble-blowing versus video-watching in reducing pain during and anxiety before pediatric intravenous cannulation.
methodsThis ethically approved, randomized controlled trial assigned 2- to 5-year-old participants to bubble-blowing or video-watching groups during their intravenous cannulations in the medical imaging department. Patients who were non-verbal, did not have an awake intravenous cannulation, received premedication, or had topical anesthetic for < 30 min were excluded. The Face Legs Activity Cry Consolability scale rated pain before, during, and after intravenous cannulation. The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety-Short Form rated anxiety immediately following parental consent (baseline) and before intravenous cannulation.
resultsData from 120 participants (60 females, median [interquartile range] age 3.8 [2.9-4.4] years) were available. Of these, 105 participants underwent intravenous cannulation and were included in the analysis. Pain scores during intravenous cannulation were 2.0 [0.0-7.0] in the video-watching and 2.0 [0.0-5.0] in the bubble-blowing group; median difference 0.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) -1.0 to 1.0), p = 0.888. Anxiety scores before intravenous cannulation were 36.5 [22.9-63.4] in the video-watching and 27.1 [22.9-52.1] in the bubble-blowing group; median difference 0.0 (95% CI -10.4 to 0.0), p = 0.178. Pain during intravenous cannulation increased in 29/52 (56%) children in the video-watching and 30/53 (57%) in the bubble-blowing group; odds ratio 0.97 (95% CI 0.42-2.24), p > 0.999. Anxiety increased in 27/52 (52%) children in the video-watching and 16/53 (30%) in the bubble-blowing group; odds ratio 2.48 (95% CI 1.04-6.02), p = 0.030.
conclusionThe use of bubble-blowing as a distraction did not significantly reduce pain during or anxiety before IV cannulation compared to video-watching. However, further research is needed to explore whether active distraction techniques could be beneficial for young, neurodiverse, anxious, or fearful children. TRIALS REGISTRATION: This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05899452; June 12, 2023).
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