I had shoulder surgery yesterday. Prior to the procedure an anesthetist performed a nerve block. It’s been 16 hours and I still cannot feel or move my arm. I am just now starting to be able to wiggle my fingers.
I don’t understand how the anesthesia can last so long. I saw the needle with the medication and there really wasn’t much of it. How is the medication not quickly carried away from the injection site?
Thank you in advance!
In: 26
The specific answer depends on which medicine you received.
Different medicines last longer than others.
Longer lasting medicines are ones like bupivicaine, which lasts from 8-18 hours. The specific time depends on the amount you got and the rate at which you break it down.
There is another version of bupivicaine which is bound to fat membranes (liposomes). This one lasts up to 72 hours.
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