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Local Anesthesia: Evidence, Strategies, and Safety

  • Medical Surgery (M Alam, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Dermatology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The number of office-based procedures performed utilizing local anesthesia continues to rise, particularly in dermatologic settings. As more emphasis is placed on cost effectiveness in medicine, it is important to understand the role that office-based procedures can play in providing excellent dermatologic care. In addition, it is essential to continually demonstrate that local anesthesia administered in office-based settings is safe and effective in order to maintain a high standard of care within the specialty. Achieving adequate local anesthesia is imperative to ensure patient comfort, reduce anxiety, and promote optimal outcomes. The clinician should have a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology, mechanism of action, practical applications and techniques, and potential adverse events of various topical and injectable anesthetics in order to enhance patient satisfaction and safety. Lidocaine, which is the most commonly used local anesthetic, has a rapid onset, moderate duration, and excellent safety profile, making it a staple in office-based procedures.

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Conflict of Interest

Cerrene N. Giordano, Jenny Nelson, Laurie L. Kohen, Rajiv Nijhawan, and Divya Srivastava declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Hospital, 3031 West Grand Blvd, Suite 800, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    Cerrene N. Giordano & Laurie L. Kohen

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern, 5939 Harry Hines Blvd POB 2, 4th Floor, Dallas, TX, 75390-9191, USA

    Jenny Nelson, Rajiv Nijhawan & Divya Srivastava

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  1. Cerrene N. Giordano
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  2. Jenny Nelson
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Correspondence to Divya Srivastava.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Medical Surgery

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Giordano, C.N., Nelson, J., Kohen, L.L. et al. Local Anesthesia: Evidence, Strategies, and Safety. Curr Derm Rep 4, 97–104 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-015-0110-9

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