Lignocaine: its effects on wound healing.

In the light of clinical observations that local anaesthetic impairs wound healing, the effect of lignocaine at various concentrations, with and without adrenaline, on the tensile strength of skin wounds in rats 3, 5 and 7 days after operation was studied. Lignocaine had an adverse effect on wound healing at 5 and 7 days, perhaps due partly to the destructive effect of the intra- and subcutaneous injection, but certainly due also to the lignocaine itself. Adrenaline potentiated this effect. It was concluded that it is better to use dilute solutions of lignocaine, preferably without adrenaline, for local anaesthesia.