Foot & ankle specialist
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Foot & ankle specialist · Apr 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of topical alkane vapocoolant spray on pain intensity prior to digital nerve block for ingrown nail surgery.
Needle penetration and local anesthetic infiltration are 2 painful steps that cause considerable stress and anxiety during digital nerve block, which is the most frequently used regional anesthesia for ingrown nail surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical alkane vapocoolant spray in decreasing pain during digital nerve block for ingrown nail surgery. The authors conducted a prospective, randomized clinical trial with 62 patients who underwent big toenail surgery. ⋯ VAS scores during needle penetration were significantly lower in the intervention group. However, VAS scores during infiltration were similar statistically. Alkane vapocoolant spray has no noticeable clinical benefit in decreasing pain intensity during digital nerve block in patients undergoing toenail surgery.