Comparative effectiveness of benzyl alcohol 0.9% as a local anaesthetic for minor plastic surgery procedures

Although the duration of anaesthesia provided by benzyl alcohol 0.9% is lim ited, its possible advantages as a local anaesthetic in minor plastic surge ry procedures include its inexpensiveness and a lower rate of adverse react ions compared to other local anaesthetics. A double blind, randomised contr olled trial was performed to compare the amount of pain experienced after b oth subcutaneous infiltration and the surgical procedure using commonly use d local anaesthetics or benzyl alcohol 0.9%. Ninety patients were randomly and consecutively assigned to one of three groups of thirty subjects. A dif ferent anaesthetic solution was used for each group: Group A: 1% mepivacain e with epinephrine 1:100000; Group B; 1% mepivacaine with epinephrine 1:100 000 "neutralized" with sodium bicarbonate 80 meq/L; Group C, 0.9% benzyl al cohol. Immediately after intradermal infiltration, and following each surgi cal procedure, the patients were asked to quantify on a visual analogue sca le the degree of pain felt. Benzyl alcohol 0.9% has proven to be an effecti ve local anaesthetic agent for minor plastic surgery procedures, providing less painful intradermal infiltration compared to the other local anestheti cs tested. In our opinion, benzyl alcohol 0.9% represents an excellent and cheap alternative for patients having minor plastic surgery and having a hi story of allergy to other local anaesthetics.