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Ethyl Chloride Spray to Reduce Pain From Local Anesthesia During Mohs Micrographic Surgery
NCT06920381 · View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Study Summary
Fear of needles is a well-documented issue that affects many patients. This fear may cause significant anxiety in various medical situations, including in the dermatology office 1. If not properly managed, needle phobia can persist, affecting a patient's experience during each visit. This effect may compound and lead to avoidance behaviors that can delay necessary treatments 2. This issue is particularly relevant in a Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) clinic where each patient experiences several painful needle injections before the day is over. Ethyl chloride is gaining popularity among dermatologists for its routine use in clinical practice due to its anesthetic and antiseptic properties, especially as a pre-injection agent. Research indicates that cryotherapy or pre-cooling the skin before administering a local anesthetic may offer benefits over topical anesthetics, such as enhanced pain relief, quicker onset, and better patient compliance 3,4. However, to our knowledge, no studies have specifically examined the effectiveness of pre-cooling with ethyl chloride prior to Mohs micrographic surgery. To address this gap, we're conducting a trial aimed at evaluating the impact of pre-cooling with ethyl chloride on pain perception in adult patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery with local anesthetic injections. The trial is a single-center, split-body study. The split-body design will involve dividing the surgical site into two equal halves, with one half (right side relative to patient) designated as the treatment side (receiving ethyl chloride spray prior to lidocaine injection) and the other as the control side (no ethyl chloride spray prior to injection). During the procedure, the participant will be asked to rate the pain associated with the needle injection AND the pain from infiltration of anesthetic from each side of the wound using the visual analog scale (VAS) scoring system (1 = no pain, 10 = most amount of pain possible). The results of the study will
Conditions Studied
Interventions
- DRUG Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride Topical Spray
Study Locations (1)
California
- UC Davis Dermatology — Sacramento
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 80 participants |
| Start Date | 2025-06-01 |
| Est. Completion | 2026-06-01 |
| Phase | Early Phase 1 |
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Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗What the Registry Record Tells You About NCT06920381
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry entry for NCT06920381 describes a study currently listed as recruiting. It is categorized as Early Phase 1, which is the standard way researchers label where a study sits along the investigational pathway from early safety work through later efficacy and post-marketing evaluation. The registered enrollment target is 80 participants, a figure that helps gauge the scale of data the investigators plan to collect. The listed sponsor is University of California, Davis, which has 653 total studies on file at ClinicalTrials.gov, and sponsors are the parties responsible for study design, oversight, and regulatory filings.
The record links to 1 condition, with Surgery appearing as the primary indexed condition, and to 1 intervention — of which Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride Topical Spray is the first listed. Interventions can include drugs, devices, procedures, behavioral programs, or observational arms, and each is tracked as a separate registry field so that downstream queries can filter accurately. When a trial lists multiple interventions, it usually reflects a multi-arm design or a comparison protocol rather than a single treatment being tested in isolation. The brief summary published in the registry is the clearest source of protocol intent and should be read before drawing conclusions from any sidebar tags.
Geographic footprint matters for practical reasons: NCT06920381 reports 1 study location spanning 1 distinct geographic area — top geographies include California. A larger site network tends to correlate with broader recruitment capacity, but it does not imply anything about study quality, and site-level enrollment status can diverge from the overall registry status shown above. Every data point on this page comes from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and is reproduced here for reference only; it is not a medical recommendation, an endorsement of the sponsor, or an invitation to enroll. Verify current status, eligibility criteria, and contact details directly at ClinicalTrials.gov, and discuss any participation decision with your own healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT06920381 about?
NCT06920381 is a clinical study titled "Ethyl Chloride Spray to Reduce Pain From Local Anesthesia During Mohs Micrographic Surgery". Fear of needles is a well-documented issue that affects many patients. This fear may cause significant anxiety in various medical situations, including in the dermatology office 1. If not properly managed, needle phobia can persist, affecting a patient's experience during each visit. This effect may...
What is the current status of trial NCT06920381?
This trial is currently recruiting. It is a Early Phase 1 study. The enrollment target is 80 participants. The study started on 2025-06-01. Estimated completion is 2026-06-01.
What conditions does trial NCT06920381 study?
This clinical trial studies the following conditions: Surgery. These conditions were identified from the trial registry and reflect the primary focus areas of the research.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT06920381?
The interventions under investigation include: Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride Topical Spray (DRUG). Each intervention is being evaluated for safety and efficacy as part of this clinical study.
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT06920381?
This trial is sponsored by University of California, Davis, which has 653 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The sponsor is responsible for the study's design, funding, and regulatory compliance.
Where is trial NCT06920381 being conducted?
This trial has 1 study location across California. Contact the study sites directly through ClinicalTrials.gov for enrollment availability.
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