Anesthesia For In-office Vein Procedures

Written by Dallas Vein Specialists on August 9, 2010

ANESTHESIA FOR IN-OFFICE VEIN PROCEDURES

At Dallas Vein Specialists we want the patient undergoing a vein procedure to have as little discomfort as possible. Some patients want to be completely “out” for the procedure, that is, experience no pain at all. Others want to be completely awake and even be able to drive home soon after having the vein procedure. And there are some who want to have their anxiety relieved and do not mind some brief mild discomfort.

The concerns about pain and desires of patients have prompted us to offer a spectrum of anesthetic and anxiolytic options. Of course we always use local anesthesia, which can be supplemented with oral anxiety relieving medication by mouth or intravenously. During our procedures the principal discomfort is the brief injection of local anesthesia, and when large areas of skin are numbed with local injection, there can be a few minutes of pain from the initial burning discomfort of the local anesthetic. If a patient wants to remain conscious and have additional pain relief, administration of nitrous oxide and oxygen by a nasal mask is available. If the patient wants to avoid this pain, a short acting intravenous agent can be administered before the local anesthetic injection. After the injections are completed and the local anesthetic is in place, the patient is brought back to a wakeful condition. The vital signs, such as blood pressure, pulse, ECG, and blood oxygen saturation, of patients who receive inhalation gases (nitrous oxide and oxygen) or intravenous agents, are carefully monitored throughout the procedure.

More and more patients do not wish to experience any unpleasant discomfort, and we are glad to make this possible as a safe, in-office surgery option. At Dallas Vein Specialists we offer more anesthetic options than any other in-office vein surgery center in the area.