His Choice Vasectomy: No Needle Anesthesia
Each vas deferens is positioned into place with a three (3) finger technique.
Proper three finger technique is critical to providing good anesthesia and decreasing the risk of complications. When properly performed, the 3 finger technique displaces the vas deferens towards the midline and the blood vessels towards the sides of the scrotum.
The vas deferens is then positioned underneath the midline of the scrotal skin and held firmly in place for the application of no-needle anesthesia.
The no-needle anesthetic is applied using a Madajet air injector system. The anesthetic used is a 50:50 mixture of lidocaine and bupivacaine. Lidocaine provides instant anesthesia and the bupivacaine extends the duration of anesthesia for up to six (6) hours.
Each vas deferens is anesthetized separately. Using the Madajet a puff of anesthetic is delivered directly into the skin and around the vas deferens which is being held immediately underneath the scrotal skin.
This allows the scrotal skin and vas deferens to be anesthetized together, quickly, and efficiently.
Usually two (2) to three (3) puffs of anesthetic are administered to provide complete anesthesia to each vas deferens. Once the right vas deferens is anesthetized the left vas deferens is anesthetized in a similar fashion.
Approximately 5% of men may need additional anesthesia. These are often men who have thick scrotal skin, thick connective tissue, or thick scar tissue from previous surgery or infection. If additional anesthesia needs to be administered it is often done with a small needle.
What does the air injection feel like?
The no-needle injector delivers a quick application of anesthetic. Anesthesia is instantaneous. The sensation one feels is often described like the sudden snap of a rubber band against the skin.
