A study of regional nerve blocks and local anesthetic creams (Prilox) for donor sites in burn patients.

BACKGROUND: Burn patient requires multiple visits to the operation theatres and undergoing anesthesia with its attendant risks and post anesthesia recovery. It is possible now with the availability of local anesthetic creams like Prilox to conduct these procedures in the minor OT without any discomfort to the patient. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hundred patients of post burn raw areas were selected. These patients had at least one area of healthy skin on anterior, medial or lateral thigh. No patient had a known drug allergy. The age group varied from 5 to 75 years with no bias towards any sex. These patients were then given anesthesia according to the group, and were assessed for the ease of grafting, amount of graft being harvested, subjective pain score, post operative pain relief and any post operative complication. The nerve block technique being used was either femoral and/or LCT block or 3-in-1 block and popliteal fossa block. RESULTS: Both the group of patients had a virtual painless process of skin grafting. It is safe in selected patients to combine the two techniques in order to harvest larger areas. DISCUSSION: Both techniques of local anesthestic creams and nerve block are safe and convenient to use. Nerve blocks are more useful where larger grafts are required, the creams being more useful in children and where less graft is required.