When is local anesthesia most often used?

When is local anesthesia most often used?

Samuel Seelig (Anesthesiologist, Los Angeles, California) gives expert video advice on: When is local anesthesia most often used? and more...

Local anesthesia is most often used on small operative procedures. A small amount of local anaesthetic is placed by the surgeon at the operative site and he does a "field block" of the area that he will be inspecting, excising or biopsying. It is not necessary to have an anaesthesiologist present during many local anesthetic procedures. However, the patient will still be monitored with the same monitoring devices as if an anaesthesiologist is present, because adverse reactions can occur with the local anaesthetics. The patient may have a vasovagal reaction or a panic reaction, and thus become faint, dizzy, or nauseous. The patient can have a reaction to the local anaesthetics, and the patient can have a panic reaction in the operating room, so it's important to monitor them and to be ready for anything that might occur.