Complications of Minor Skin Surgery Performed under Local Anesthesia

Abstract

Minor surgical procedures performed under local anesthesia are the most common surgical procedures routinely carried out in every plastic surgical practice. The objective was to evaluate the prevalence of immediate local and systemic complications of such procedures. 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. Procedure-related complications were 51 presyncope (1.9%), 4 true syncope (0.16%), 2 minor burns (0.08%), and 1 facial laceration (0.04%). 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.