Does Lidocaine Stop Pain Before It Happens? A Look at Preemptive Analgesia
•
4 min read
Local anesthetics are used extensively, with recent studies showing a systemic toxicity (LAST) rate of about 1-2 events per 1,000 peripheral nerve blocks [1.11.1]. So, does lidocaine stop pain before it happens? Yes, by blocking pain signals at the nerve level, it can prevent the sensation of pain from ever reaching the brain [1.2.1, 1.2.2].
