Early tests suggest 2-heptanone may also find a role in humans as a local anaesthetic.

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In many cases a local anaesthetic was applied before the limb was removed with simple surgical instruments.

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Mrs Cannon, a great-grandmother from Wavertree, Liverpool, has had two courses of RFA under a local anaesthetic.

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But a British expert said that while giving only a local anaesthetic for such a major operation had advantages, it also involved extra risks for the patient.

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It can be corrected with surgery that can be done as a day case, under local anaesthetic and sedation.

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