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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
IDEAS
That Work
I
t's not uncommon
for patients under-
going propofol
induction to complain
of painful sensations
at the injection site.
For patients whose
histories indicate par-
ticularly bad experi-
ences, I perform what
I call "mini Bier
blocks." First I'll
apply a tourniquet or
venous stasis with a
BP cuff, inject 2 to 3
mL of 1% lidocaine,
and wait for 2 min-
utes. Then I'll remove
the tourniquet and
administer the propo-
fol. I've found this to be effective even among patients who've report-
ed severe pain from propofol with added lidocaine.
Curtis Alleyne, BSc, MBBS, DM
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Bridgetown, Barbados
somnos@caribsurf.com
EASIER INDUCTION
Pre-Propofol Lidocaine
Prevents Injection Pain
BANISH THE BURN
A pre-induction
injection of lido-
caine can mask the
pain of propofol.
