Tumescent anaesthesia

A special type of local anaesthesia, in which a large volume of fluid is injected under pressure into the subcutaneous fat tissues. The fluid contains a local anaesthetic agent.

In the case of certain heart diseases, the condition may worsen as a result of the considerable fluid volume burden.

Tumescent anaesthesia is also used in operations on varicose veins and in particular in laser and radiofrequency ablation therapy. It provides a wide area of anaesthesia around the veins to be treated and affords protection from pain. In addition, the large volume of fluid in the tissues acts as a sort of firewall between the vein being treated and the surrounding tissues, especially nerves. This protection has proved particularly effective against burns and thermal damage during laser therapy and radiofrequency ablation.