Cutis
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Accidental intravascular injection of lidocaine during the induction of infiltration anesthesia for dermatologic surgery is an occasional and harmless occurrence. The author noted nine such episodes in a three-year period of full-time private dermatologic practice. ⋯ Patients experienced no ill effects. The standard textbooks and reviews caution practitioners to aspirate before injecting a local anesthetic; this is unnecessary when performing infiltration anesthesia of the skin.