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 limited, its possible advantages as a local anaesthetic in minor plastic surgery procedures include its inexpensiveness and a lower rate of adverse reactions compared to other local anaesthetics. A double blind, randomised controlled trial was performed to compare the amount of pain experienced after both subcutaneous infiltration and the surgical procedure using commonly used local anaesthetics or benzyl alcohol 0.9%. Ninety patients were randomly and consecutively assigned to one of three groups of thirty subjects. A different anaesthetic solution was used for each group: Group A: 1% mepivacaine with epinephrine 1:100,000; Group B; 1% mepivacaine with epinephrine 1:100,000 'neutralized' with sodium bicarbonate 80 meq/L; Group C: 0.9% benzyl alcohol. Immediately after intradermal infiltration, and following each surgical procedure, the patients were asked to quantify on a visual analogue scale the degree of pain felt. Benzyl alcohol 0.9% has proven to be an effective local anaesthetic agent for minor plastic surgery procedures, providing less painful intradermal infiltration compared to the other local anesthetics tested. In our opinion, benzyl alcohol 0.9% represents an excellent and cheap alternative for patients having minor plastic surgery and having a history of allergy to other local anaesthetics.