Infiltrative anesthesia: lidocaine and bupivacaine Infiltrative or injected anesthesia, such as 1% or 2% lidocaine, has been a commonly used method for pain management during laceration repair.
If you need stitches, the nurse or assistant will usually start by putting a numbing gel on top of the cut.
Local anesthesia, also called local anesthetic, is usually a one-time injection of medicine that numbs a small area of the body. It is used for procedures such as performing a skin biopsy or breast biopsy, repairing a broken bone, or stitching a deep cut.
Duration: Lidocaine (Xylocaine) is 30-120 minutes.
Abstract. The drug of choice for local anesthesia in most emergency departments is lidocaine. However, it wears off shortly after suturing is complete and patients may experience pain after closure of the wound.
"Suture removal is typically straightforward — the stitches are simply cut and then pulled out," says Dr. Yaakovian. "You may feel some pressure and tugging, but it shouldn't be painful, and no anesthetic is needed for this."
It usually lasts for approximately 4 - 6 hours. During this period take care not to injure the area which has been numbed as you may not feel any damage. The local anaesthetic may also have contained adrenaline. Adrenaline makes the surrounding blood vessels smaller.
Sutures (Stitches)
A doctor uses a piece of surgical thread called a suture to sew (or stitch) two ends of skin together. Surgeons once used animal tendons, horsehair, pieces of plants, or human hair to create sutures. Today, they're made from natural or manmade materials like plastic, nylon, or silk.
Local anesthesia involves using medications (local anesthetics) to numb an area of your body. It's used to prevent pain during and after surgery or other medical procedures, such as dental work or getting stitches.
You can also hold an ice pack over your wound to reduce pain, swelling, and bruising. Place an ice pack on your wound for 15 to 20 minutes every hour or as told by your healthcare provider.
A 1% solution (10 mg/cc) of lidocaine can be used for most wounds. Lidocaine 1% is very safe when used in the small quantities usually required for simple lacerations. The physician should not use in excess of 3mg/kg of lidocaine.
Smooth down the edges of the dressing carefully. Then leave it in place for at least 60 minutes if the skin has not been damaged. The cream should not be left in place for more than 60 minutes in children under 3 months or for more than 30 minutes in children with an itchy skin condition called 'atopic dermatitis'.
Although it's natural to feel a little anxious if you're getting stitches, especially if you've just experienced trauma, the procedure is generally painless. And stitches will help cuts heal with minimal scarring or risk for infection.
Although sutures and stitches are often referred to as one and the same, they are actually two different things. Sutures are the threads or strands used to close a wound. “Stitches” refers to the actual process of closing the wound.
— Before the doctor stitches or staples your cut, they will clean out the cut well. They will also give you numbing medicine so that you don't feel pain when the stitches or staples go in. After the doctor stitches or staples your cut, they will cover the area with gauze or a bandage.
It has a medicine called lidocaine in it that numbs the skin and the tissue around where it is put on the skin. It takes 30 minutes to work. The cream may stay on for 1 hour and will keep working for another hour after it comes off.
The following changes in the wound can be normal:
Tingling, numbness, and itching around the incision. There may also be mild oozing and bruising, and a small lump may form.
Sutures, more commonly known as stitches, are considered minor surgery because they involve using surgical techniques. However, they are low risk and do not risk a great deal of pain, damage, or complications.
While a patient may feel that one or two stitches are all that's needed, 10 or more may in fact be required to close their skin.
After 48 hours, surgical wounds can get wet without increasing the risk of infection. After this time, you can get your stitches wet briefly with a light spray (such as in the shower), but they should not be soaked (for example, in the bath). Make sure you pat the area dry afterwards.
Location on the Body
If a laceration is located somewhere like the genitals, face, head, eyelids, or joints, these are more sensitive areas and can be more damaging if not treated properly.
But the most popular theory is that a stitch is triggered by irritation of the parietal peritoneum, the membrane corset that wraps around your abdominal area. During exercise, your trunk muscles become tired and your back muscles over-engage to compensate, pressing on nerves felt in your abdomen, side or shoulders.
Keep the wound bandaged and dry for the first day. After the first day, wash around the wound with clean water 2 times a day. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the wound with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a non-stick bandage.