Effect of temperature for tumescence anesthesia solution on intraoperative and postoperative pain of endovenous laser ablation of lower extremity varicose vein

OBJECTIVE:To compare the effect of cold or room temperature of tumescence anesthesia solution on pain perception during and after endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) for varicose veins of lower limb. Methods: A total of 51 patients with lower extremity varicose vein were treated by EVLA with tumescence anesthesia solution. All patients were used for local anesthesia and randomly divided into 2 groups according to the temperature of tumescence anesthesia solution: Group A (n=26) with room temperature (24 ℃) of tumescence anesthesia solution and Group B (n=25) with cold (4 ℃) tumescence anesthesia solution. Number rating scale (NRS) was recorded immediately after the procedure and postoperative 1, 2, 3 day. Patients were asked to register pain scores during the week. Results: The mean linear endovenous energy density (LEED) in the 2 groups was not significantly different (P>0.05). The ratio of patients without pain during the operation in the Group A was lower than that in the Group B (30.8% vs 64%, P<0.05). On the day of operation and postoperative day 1, 2, 3, the average number rating scale (NRS) scores in the Group A were greater than those in the Group B (P<0.05). Postoperative day 1, only 30.8% of the patients in the Group A resumed daily activities, which was lower than that (68% of the patients) in the Group B. Conclusion: In the process of EVLA for varicose veins of lower limb, there is less pain during operation and post-operation using cold tumescence anesthesia solution comparing room temperature tumescence anesthesia solution.