Complications of minor skin surgery performed under local anesthesia

BACKGROUND: Minor surgical procedures performed under local anesthesia are the most common surgical procedures routinely carried out in every plastic surgical practice. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the prevalence of immediate local and systemic complications of such procedures. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Records of 2,600 procedures performed under local anesthesia on 2,431 patients between November 2001 and May 2004 were reviewed. Local anesthetic complications and all surgical-related complications were recorded. RESULTS: Procedure-related complications were 51 presyncope (1.9%), 4 true syncope (0.16%), 2 minor burns (0.08%), and 1 facial laceration (0.04%). CONCLUSIONS: True allergic reaction to lidocaine is extremely rare and none was noted in our study. Most patients who claimed that they had suffered from such a reaction were probably experiencing symptoms related to intravenous injection administration, a reaction to the added vasoconstrictor (adrenaline), or a vasovagal reaction, which is a common trait among young adults. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.