Tumescent Infiltration of Lidocaine and Adrenaline for Burn Surgery

The tumescent technique involves the injection of large volumes of dilute local anaesthetic such as lidocaine or bupivacaine, with or without adrenaline solution, into subcutaneous fat, obtaining swelling and firmness (tumescence) of the surgical area and also creating regional anaesthesia of the skin and subcutaneous tissue that allows cutaneous surgery without pain. In particular, in cutaneous surgery, this procedure has some specific advantages, e.g. anaesthetization of large areas of body surface, low incidence of bleeding, and prolonged post-operative analgesia. It also facilitates surgical dissection and reduces post-operative swelling and bruising. Tumescent infiltration, which recently has gained widespread popularity, may therefore be considered a useful tool for local anaesthesia in cutaneous surgery, e.g. in liposuction, hair transplantation, excision of certain skin lesions, cervicofacial rhytidectomy, dermabrasion, and fat grafting. In this study, tumescent infiltration of lidocaine and adrenaline was used for routine burn surgery procedures, including escharectomy, debridement, tangential excision, and skin grafting.