USE OF PERCUTANEOUS ANESTHESIA FOR PACEMA KER IMPLANTATIONS

Objectives: Assess the efficacy of an anesthesic cream for pacemaker i mplantations. Methods: Percutaneous anesthesia was studied in a series of permanent pacemaker transvenous implantations, The anesthesic crea m composed of a mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine was applied precis ely over operative areas after marking the skin, Percutaneous anesthes ia should be applied 2 hours before entering the operating room. Resul ts: This percutaneous local anesthesia was perfectly effective for sim ple replacement procedures, At first implantations, it was used alone in 4 out of 10 cases while intradermal injections were needed to anest hetize the deep layers in the other patients. Serum concentrations ind icate very low levels which are tolerated very well. Conclusion: Alone or combined with lidocaine infiltration, the use of an anesthesic cre am is safe and effective in transvenous pacemaker surgery.