This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Arai, Y.-C. P. Articles by Ueda, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Arai, Y.-C. P. Articles by Ueda, W. Related Collections Ambulatory Anesthetic Techniques Pharmacology

---

AMBULATORY ANESTHESIA

Warm Steaming Enhances the Topical Anesthetic Effect of Lidocaine

Young-Chang P. Arai, MD^*, and Wasa Ueda, MD

From the *Department of Anesthesiology, Kochi Municipal Hospital, and the Department of Anesthesiology, Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Nursing, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan

Address correspondence to Young-Chang P. Arai, Department of Anesthesiology, Kochi Medical School, Oko-Cho, Nankoku, Kochi, 783–8505, Japan. Address email to arainon{at}med.kochi-ms.ac.jp

Warm steaming has been used for hydrating the skin, thereby increasing its permeability. We studied whether skin pretreatment with a steamed towel (at 45°C) for 5 min could enhance the anesthetic effect of a topical lidocaine tape in 14 female volunteers. After each volunteer received the skin pretreatment on one of the forearms, lidocaine tape was applied for 30 min on both the treated and the untreated forearms. Superficial anesthesia was scored by recording the number of painful experience during 5 pinpricks delivered with a 27-gauge needle. To assess anesthesia of the deeper layer, single insertion of a 27-gauge needle to a depth of 3 mm was made and pain was scored by a visual analog scale (VAS). There were significant reductions in the scores of superficial anesthesia (median [range]: treated arm, 2 [0–5], versus untreated arm, 4 [1–5]; P < 0.01) and the VAS scores of deeper insertion (median [range]: treated arm, 4.5 [0–8], versus untreated arm, 8 [2–10]; P < 0.01). In conclusion, the application of a warm steamed towel enhanced the anesthetic effect of a topical lidocaine tape.

IMPLICATIONS: We showed that the skin pretreatment with a steamed towel (at 45°C) enhanced the anesthetic effect of a topical lidocaine tape in female volunteers.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. T. Zempsky Pharmacologic Approaches for Reducing Venous Access Pain in Children Pediatrics, November 1, 2008; 122(Supplement_3): S140 - S153. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y.-C. P. Arai, T. Ushida, T. Osuga, T. Matsubara, K. Oshima, K. Kawaguchi, C. Kuwabara, S. Nakao, A. Hara, C. Furuta, et al. The Effect of Acupressure at the Extra 1 Point on Subjective and Autonomic Responses to Needle Insertion Anesth. Analg., August 1, 2008; 107(2): 661 - 664. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y.-C. P. Arai, M. Ikeuchi, K. Fukunaga, W. Ueda, T. Kimura, and T. Komatsu Intra-articular injection of warmed lidocaine improves intraoperative anaesthetic and postoperative analgesic conditions Br. J. Anaesth., February 1, 2006; 96(2): 259 - 261. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]