Analgesic effectiveness of topical sevoflurane to perform sharp debridement of painful wounds

Abstract

ObjectiveAnalgesic topical options to perform wound debridement are scarce. The purpose of this study was to communicate our experience using topical sevoflurane as analgesic for wound debridement. MethodsAfter approval by our institutional review board, medical records were reviewed for those patients who had previously accepted to be treated with off-label topical sevoflurane (1 mL/cm2) as an analgesic for sharp debridement of painful wounds, because it was previously approved by our institutional Pharmacy Regulatory Commission and Medical Management. According to this protocol, pain scores were measured by using a numerical rating scale (from 0 to 10 points) over a 10-hour period. Wound debridement was performed following routine procedures. ResultsMedical records from 152 patients were reviewed. Baseline pain was severe (median, 7 points). After topical sevoflurane application, the analgesic effect was rapid (median pain score of 2 points at 5 minutes), and full debridement was feasible in most wounds (93%). The initial intense analgesic effect lasted for 30 minutes and then it subsided gradually over time to nearly reach baseline values after 10 hours. The patients estimated that the analgesic effect lasted several hours (median, 9 hours), and their overall satisfaction was high (median of 8 points on a scale ranging from 0 to 10). Fifty-two patients (34%) experienced itching. ConclusionsTopical application of sevoflurane to painful wounds produced a rapid, robust, and long-lasting analgesic effect, which allowed for a high degree of wound debridement.