Articaine: An Effective Adjunctive Local Anesthetic for Painless Surgery at the Depth of the Muscular Fascia

BACKGROUND: Articaine is a unique amide anesthetic that contains a thiophene ring and an additional ester group. The rapid diffusion and enhanced tissue-penetrating properties of articaine enable its use for infiltrative anesthesia. OBJECTIVE: To describe the effective use of articaine as an adjuvant local anesthetic for surgical excisions requiring dissection at the level of the muscular fascia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We discuss the successful adjunctive use of articaine to provide effective infiltrative anesthesia of muscular fascia. We review the composition, the pharmacologic properties, and the safety profile of articaine. RESULTS: Adjuvant local anesthesia using articaine results in painless surgery at the level of the muscular fascia without any perioperative complications. CONCLUSION: Articaine is not only well tolerated but also rapidly effective for anesthesia in the fascial plane of the trunk and extremities. We recommend it be considered as an adjunctive local anesthetic for consistently painless cutaneous surgery near the muscular fascia.