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Local anesthesia in blepharoplasty: a new look?
S E Metzinger1, P L Rigby, D J Bailey
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Biocommunications, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans 70112.
Southern Medical Journal
|February 1, 1994
Summary
Buffered local anesthetics significantly reduce pain during blepharoplasty surgery. Patients reported less discomfort with buffered solutions, which also offered a faster onset of action without affecting hemostasis or duration.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Anesthesiology
- Plastic Surgery
Background:
- Local anesthetics are commonly used for blepharoplasty.
- Pain and discomfort are common patient complaints during local anesthetic injections.
- Buffering local anesthetics with sodium bicarbonate may improve patient comfort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare patient-reported pain and tolerance of buffered versus unbuffered local anesthetics for blepharoplasty.
- To evaluate the effect of buffering on the onset, hemostasis, and duration of local anesthetics.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, comparative study involving 40 volunteers undergoing blepharoplasty.
- Patients received either buffered or unbuffered local anesthetic injections.
- Surgeons assessed onset, hemostasis, and duration of action.
Main Results:
- 35 out of 40 patients (87.5%) reported less pain and better tolerance with buffered local anesthetics.
- No significant differences were observed in hemostasis or duration of action.
- Buffered solutions demonstrated a faster onset of action.
Conclusions:
- Buffering local anesthetics with sodium bicarbonate is a safe and effective method to reduce injection pain in blepharoplasty.
- Buffered anesthetics provide a faster onset of action, potentially improving surgical efficiency.
- Patient comfort and anesthetic efficacy are enhanced with buffered local anesthetics.