This Advanced Surgical Strategy at Our Dover, Ohio, Practice Has Advantages
The point of an anesthetic is to improve the surgical experience for patients by reducing sensation and allowing them to remain relaxed and comfortable. This reduces trauma to the patient and allows the surgeon to work without also having to deal with someone enduring a great deal of pain. Patient-awake surgery ensures the patient stays comfortable not only during the procedure but after since general anesthesia can cause a range of side effects that must be dealt with during recovery.
How Does Patient-Awake Surgery Work?
With precisely placed injections of a solution that contains lidocaine, sensation in the surgical site can be reduced so that patients do not feel the incisions. Also known as tumescent anesthesia, this technique causes the tissue to become firmer and numb. At most, the sensation of pressure will register, but the procedure should remain comfortable.
What Are the Advantages of Patient-Awake Surgery?
Using only a local anesthetic dramatically reduces the risk of:
- post-operative nausea
- vomiting
- aspiration
- spiking and/or dropping blood-pressure
- nerve compression injury
- peripheral blood clots
- cardiac dysrhythmia