Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate premedication in patients undergoing outpatient dermatologic procedures.

BACKGROUND: Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) is a novel lozenge dosage form of fentanyl used for premedication. Many dermatology patients undergoing surgical procedures could benefit from such a medication. OBJECTIVE: The study compared the safety and efficacy of 400-vs 800-micrograms dosage forms for their sedative and anxiolytic effects in adults undergoing a variety of dermatologic outpatient surgical procedures. METHODS: Patients received OTFC 30 minutes before the procedure. Vital signs, oxygen saturation, sedation, and anxiety scores were measured before OTFC administration and every 15 minutes thereafter. RESULTS: Significant sedation and anxiolysis developed in both dosage groups. No clinically significant changes in respiratory rate, heart rate, or blood pressure occurred during the study period. Common drug-induced side effects included dizziness, nausea, pruritus, and vomiting. CONCLUSION: OTFC is safe and effective for outpatient dermatologic procedures; however, the risk of opioid-related side effects must be carefully weighed against the benefits when deciding to use OTFC in an outpatient setting.

Iontophoretic administration of lidocaine anesthesia in office practice. An appraisal.

BACKGROUND: Obtaining anesthesia for dermatologic, office-based surgeries often involves the pain of needle stick and burning upon injection of local anesthetic agents. No truly effective method for obtaining painless anesthesia is well accepted in the United States. OBJECTIVE: A study was carried out using iontophoresis of lidocaine with epinephrine to determine the practicality of this method of delivering local anesthesia prior to invasive procedures in dermatology offices. METHODS: A two-center, open-label study was undertaken using iontophoretic administration of 4% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:50,000 before painful procedures occurring in the dermatologists' office. RESULTS: Ninety-four procedures in 64 patients were evaluated. Both patients and physicians recorded 51% of procedures as painless, 36% as minor (partial), and 14% causing moderate to severe pain. Iontophoretic local anesthesia was 80 to 100% effective for pain relief for injections, abrasions, laser surgery, and cautery; it was significantly less effective in effecting pain relief for dermal excisions. CONCLUSIONS: Iontophoretic administration of anesthesia is a useful adjunct to the armamentarium of dermatologists performing surgical procedures in their office.

Painless cauterization of spider veins with the use of iontophoretic local anesthesia.

Treatment of small vascular abnormalities of the skin is painful, and injections of local anesthetic agents distort the operating field. Iontophoresis of salt-free, 4% lidocaine, with and without epinephrine, delivered to the skin from a receptacle with a semipermeable membrane, and with the use of a current-controlled electrical system, resulted in effective anesthesia of the skin for cauterization of "spider" veins. Fourteen subjects received 32 treatments. Sixteen paired areas of spider veins were anesthetized with iontophoresis of lidocaine and with lidocaine plus epinephrine 1/50,000. The duration of anesthesia with lidocaine averaged 14 minutes; relief of pain was complete in 9/16 treatments, adequate in 6/16, and inadequate in 1/16. Lidocaine plus epinephrine supplied anesthesia for 56 minutes; relief of pain was total in 14/16 treatments and adequate in the remaining two. Thus iontophoresis with the use of selected local anesthetic and iontophoretic equipment provides adequate conditions for cauterization of spider veins, a procedure poorly served by conventional local anesthesia.