We hypothesized that Benzocaine (Hurricaine) would work as quickly and 
effectively as viscous Lidocaine in this preparation. This was a prospective 
randomized, single-blinded comparison between Benzocaine and Lidocaine as the 
topical anesthetic in a gastrointestinal (GI) cocktail. Patients 18 years or 
older were approached for participation when a GI cocktail was ordered by the 
Emergency Physician. Patients were randomized to equivalent doses of either 
Benzocaine or viscous Lidocaine in addition to 30 cc of Maalox and 10 cc of 
Donnatal. Assessment using a visual analog pain scale occurred at time intervals 
of 0, 5, 15, and 30 min. Eighty-two patients were enrolled (44 to Benzocaine, 38 
to viscous Lidocaine), with each group having a statistically significant 
improvement in pain (p < 0.001). There were no statistical differences between 
the Benzocaine and viscous Lidocaine groups in terms of the relief of symptoms 
at each of the assessment times. There were no adverse outcomes in either group.