Bedside procedures

How to give local anesthesia for a wound

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPA
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Good anesthesia makes the procedure easier for everyone. Respect the maximum dose.

Step by step

  1. Check

    Allergies, weight, maximum dose: lidocaine about 4.5 mg/kg plain, 7 mg/kg with epinephrine. [1]

  2. Make it gentler

    Small needle (25 to 30 G), warmed and buffered if available. [1]

  3. Inject

    Through the wound edges (not intact skin) slowly. [1]

  4. Avoid vessels

    Move the needle while injecting. [1]

  5. Wait and test

    A few minutes, then test with gentle touch. [1]

  6. Watch

    Toxicity: numb mouth, ringing ears, confusion, seizures. [1]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

VMS cases that train this skill

Sources

  1. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  2. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
  3. OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (CC BY 4.0)

Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) and OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills, licensed under CC BY 4.0. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.