What is the Effect of Lidocaine Compared to Lidocaine and Clove Oil on Episiotomy Site Anesthesia: Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Episiotomy is a commonly performed obstetric procedure that often results in perineal pain for women. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of lidocaine alone and lidocaine combined with clove oil on pain at the episiotomy site. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at Baharloo Hospital in Tehran, involving 65 nulliparous women who underwent episiotomy. Perineal pain was assessed using the Visual Pain Intensity Scale (VAS) and the McGill Questionnaire. The control group received a 2% lidocaine injection, while the intervention group received a combination of O.8% clove oil and 2% lidocaine to alleviate pain before the episiotomy. The clove oil was applied topically to the episiotomy site 1O minutes prior to the lidocaine injection. During the episiotomy repair stage, both groups received a 2% lidocaine injection. Pain intensity was measured using the aforementioned tools at 1, 6, and 12 hours after episiotomy repair. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in average pain intensity between the two groups before and 12 hours after the intervention (P > 0.05). However, at 1 and 6 hours after the intervention, the combination of clove oil and lidocaine resulted in significantly lower pain compared to the lidocaine-only group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the greater effectiveness of lidocaine combined with clove oil in reducing episiotomy site pain intensity and the absence of side effects, this method can be recommended as an adjuvant therapy to reduce pain at the episiotomy site.