Anaesthesia & intensive care medicine
Volume 11, Issue 3 , Pages 98-100, March 2010

Systemic toxic effects of local anaesthetics

Christina Beecroft FRCA FDS RCS is a locum Consultant Anaesthetist at Ninewells Hospital, and Medical School, Dundee, UK. Her main interest is regional anaesthesia and she has completed a six-month training fellowship in this specialty. Conflicts of interest: none declared

Gillian Davies FRCA is a Specialty Registrar in Anaesthesia at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared

Abstract 

Systemic toxicity from local anaesthetic agent use is a rare, but potentially life-threatening, complication. It most commonly occurs with inadvertent intravascular injection. High plasma levels of local anaesthetic lead to central nervous system and cardiovascular toxicity. Treatment of toxicity is mainly supportive; however, there is now evidence for the use of lipid emulsions in the management of severe local anaesthetic toxicity.

Keywords: Bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, lidocaine, lipid emulsion, toxicity

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

PII: S1472-0299(09)00311-7

doi:10.1016/j.mpaic.2009.12.003

Anaesthesia & intensive care medicine
Volume 11, Issue 3 , Pages 98-100, March 2010

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution