• Brian Berman, Javier Flores, David Pariser, Robert Pariser, Tami de Araujo, and Claudia C Ramirez.
• Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA. bberman@med.miami.edu
• Dermatol Surg. 2005 Feb 1;31(2):135-8.

BackgroundDermatologic procedures often cause some degree of pain. A self-warming patch containing lidocaine and tetracaine (L/T) was developed to provide topical local anesthesia prior to painful procedures.ObjectivesTo evaluate the safety and efficacy of a self-warming L/T patch to provide anesthesia in adult patients undergoing minor dermatologic procedures.MethodsAn active or placebo study drug was placed on adults 30 minutes prior to minor dermatologic surgical procedures in a prospectively randomized, double-blinded manner. Subcutaneous lidocaine injection was available during the procedure as a rescue medication if requested by the subject. Immediately following the procedure, the subjects, the investigator, and an independent observer rated pain intensity and adverse events were recorded.ResultsPatient-reported pain intensity was significantly lower in the L/T patch group (p<.001). Investigators and an independent observer rated the pain in the L/T patch group to be less than in the placebo patch group (p = .004 and p<.001, respectively). Forty-nine percent of patients in the placebo group required rescue subcutaneous lidocaine compared with 22% in the L/T patch study group (p = .008). One patient in the L/T patch group reported a transient moderate burning sensation.ConclusionThe self-warming L/T patch was effective in providing clinically useful local anesthesia for minor dermatologic procedures in adult patients.

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