Local anesthesia is any technique to induce the absence of sensation in a specific part of the body, generally for the aim of inducing local analgesia, i.e. local insensitivity to pain, although other local senses may be affected as well. It allows patients to undergo surgical and dental procedures with reduced pain and distress. In many situations, such as cesarean section, it is safer and therefore superior to general anesthesia.
The following terms are often used interchangeably:
Local anesthesia, in a strict sense, is anesthesia of a small part of the body such as a tooth or an area of skin.
Regional anesthesia is aimed at anesthetizing a larger part of the body such as a leg or arm.
Conduction anesthesia encompasses a great variety of local and regional anesthetic techniques.
Local anesthetic
A local anesthetic is a drug that causes reversible local anesthesia and a loss of nociception. When it is used on specific nerve pathways (nerve block), effects such as analgesia (loss of pain sensation) and paralysis (loss of muscle power) can be achieved. Clinical local anesthetics belong to one of two classes: aminoamide and aminoester local anesthetics. Synthetic local anesthetics are structurally related to cocaine. They differ from cocaine mainly in that they have no abuse potential and do not act on the sympathoadrenergic system, i.e. they do not produce hypertension or local vasoconstriction, with the exception of Ropivacaine and Mepivacaine that do produce weak vasoconstriction. Unlike other forms of anesthesia, a local can be used for a minor procedure in a surgeon's office as it does not put you into a state of unconsciousness. However, the physician should have a sterile environment available before doing a procedure in their office.
Local anesthetics vary in their pharmacological properties and they are used in various techniques of local anesthesia such as:
Topical anesthesia (surface) - Similar to topical gel numbing before getting injected with Lidocaine.
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The aim of this course is two-fold:
i) to describe the molecular properties of some important drug targets
ii) to illustrate some applications of drugs active at the nervous system
We will work with local stakeholders in the British town of Bridport to design housing responding to local needs not met by the traditional market. We will focus on how to make this housing characterf
We will work with local stakeholders in the British town of Bridport to design housing responding to local needs not met by the traditional market. We will focus on how to make this housing characterf
A local anesthetic (LA) is a medication that causes absence of all sensation (including pain) in a specific body part without loss of consciousness, as opposed to a general anesthetic, which eliminates all sensation in the entire body and causes unconsciousness. Local anesthetics are most commonly used to eliminate pain during or after surgery. When it is used on specific nerve pathways (local anesthetic nerve block), paralysis (loss of muscle function) also can be induced.
Nerve block or regional nerve blockade is any deliberate interruption of signals traveling along a nerve, often for the purpose of pain relief. Local anesthetic nerve block (sometimes referred to as simply "nerve block") is a short-term block, usually lasting hours or days, involving the injection of an anesthetic, a corticosteroid, and other agents onto or near a nerve. Neurolytic block, the deliberate temporary degeneration of nerve fibers through the application of chemicals, heat, or freezing, produces a block that may persist for weeks, months, or indefinitely.
General anaesthesia (UK) or general anesthesia (US) is a method of medically inducing loss of consciousness that renders a patient unarousable even with painful stimuli. This effect is achieved by administering either intravenous or inhalational general anaesthetic medications, which often act in combination with an analgesic and neuromuscular blocking agent. Spontaneous ventilation is often inadequate during the procedure and intervention is often necessary to protect the airway.
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EPFL2023
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