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Anesthesia

Local Anesthetic Not Working

12/05/2011

Question:

My partner has recently had the snip done. All the way through he felt the whole proceedure. He visited the hospital yesterday and a nurse told him he needed another local anesthetic and he explained he`s always felt pain during no matter what he is having done. She mentioned he may have a syndrome that also has hyperextendable joints as a symptom, he remembers it beginning with the letter "L". could you please let us know if possible what this syndrome is and its effects? Many thanks.

Answer:

Thanks for the interesting question. The syndrome with hyperextendable joints is probably Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Type III. There are several variants of this condition. There are reports of local anesthetic "resistance" - that is inadequate or incomplete anesthesia, or shorted duration of the effect of local anesthetics. I could not find any information on the mechanism of this resistance. For more information about Ehlers Danlos I suggest you consult one of the other forums on NetWellness - perhaps Inherited Disorders and Birth Defects.

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Response by:

Gareth S Kantor, MD Gareth S Kantor, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University