Comparison of oxybuprocaine and lidocaine topical anesthesia for pain control in radiofrequency ablation treatment of great saphenous vein insufficiency

Topical anesthetics have been used for radiofrequency ablation of great saphenous vein insufficiency. A total of 74 patients with great saphenous vein insufficiency treated at our center between February 2021 and August 2022 were enrolled. The patients were selected and divided into an oxybuprocaine group(n = 30) and a lidocaine group (n = 44). The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate intraoperative and postoperative pain. Patient satisfaction with anesthesia, maintenance time of anesthesia, and disturbance of the surgeons were also recorded and assessed. The VAS scores and other indices of the 2 groups were compared to assess the effectiveness of anesthesia. Perioperative surgical complications and painkiller use were also recorded. The median VAS score of the patients during the process was 2 in both groups, and the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. In the 2 groups, 93.33% of the patients in the oxybuprocaine group and 93.18% of the patients in the lidocaine group were satisfed with the anesthesia. Nine patients in the lidocaine group and 14 in the oxybuprocaine group received additional anesthetic drugs. The average maintenance time of anesthesia was longer in the lidocaine group. No serious complications occurred in either of the groups. Both oxybuprocaine and lidocaine topical anesthesia combined with tumescent anesthesia could provide effective pain control in radiofrequency ablation treatment of great saphenous vein insufficiency. Although the average maintenance time of anesthesia was longer in the lidocaine group, there was no difference in the associated complications and pain control.