What is the suggested deposit rate for the anesthetic?

• A. 0.5 mL per minute
• B. 1 mL per minute
• C. 2 mL per minute
• D. 3 mL per minute

Answer: (B)

Controlling how fast you deposit the anesthetic affects how it diffuses to the target nerves, how the tissue tolerates the injection, and overall safety. Depositing about one milliliter per minute provides a steady, gradual delivery that lets the solution surround the nerve fibers without causing sudden tissue distention or high pressure. This pace also helps monitor patient comfort and reduces the risk of rapid vascular uptake or accidental spread to unintended areas.

If you go slower, like half a milliliter per minute, the injection becomes unnecessarily long and can still be uncomfortable, while not offering additional benefits in terms of onset. If you inject much faster, at two or three milliliters per minute, you increase tissue distention, pain, and the chance of diffusion into non-target areas or intravascular dispersal, which can raise toxicity risk and compromise control of anesthesia. Hence, the suggested rate is one milliliter per minute.