98dsSmith453

Dermatologic Surgery

1998 Abstract

9804-453 Smith

Smith SR, Goldman MP.
Tumescent anesthesia in ambulatory phlebectomy. Dermatol Surg. 1998 Apr;24(4):453-6.
PMID: 9568202

Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory phlebectomy is an elegant outpatient procedure for the
removal of varicose veins. One of the keys to its success is the ability to
perform the procedure under local anesthesia. A new form of anesthesia,
tumescent anesthesia, has been developed for liposuction surgery and is now
being expanded for use in other surgical disciplines. OBJECTIVE: To determine
the efficacy and safety as well as review the use and advantages of tumescent
anesthesia in ambulatory phlebectomy. METHODS: A retrospective review of
phlebectomy cases performed in our offices under tumescent anesthesia. RESULTS:
The reported level of intraoperative and postoperative pain was very low. The
complication rate was consistent with other reports except for a higher number
of hematomas (3.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Tumescent anesthesia provides a very safe,
comfortable method of anesthetizing patients for ambulatory phlebectomy.
Epinephrine, in appropriate concentrations, should be a part of all tumescent
anesthetic solutions used for phlebectomy as it may decrease the incidence of
hematoma.