Intravenous cannulation, particularly in children and those nervous of the procedure, can be made more tolerable by preoperative use of one of two topical preparations:

1. EMLA
2. Ametop

'EMLA' stands for Eutectic Mixture of Local Anaesthetics.

Both preparations should be prescribed for application 30-60 minutes before cannulation is anticipated. It is important to identify the exact area to be covered by these preparations to the nursing staff who are administering them, so that they are placed directly over the anticipated cannulation site(s).

Ametop acts slightly more quickly than EMLA and produces less vasoconstriction, particularly if left for a longer time than anticipated.