LIDOCAINE = LIGNOCAINE injectable

Therapeutic action

• Local anaesthetic

Indications

• Local anaesthesia:
  • minor operations: 1% lidocaine
  • dental surgery: 2% lidocaine (plain or with epinephrine)

Forms and strengths, route of administration

• 1% solution in 20 and 50 ml vials (10 mg/ml), for SC infiltration
• 2% solution in 20 and 50 ml vials (20 mg/ml), for SC infiltration

Dosage

• The volume to be injected depends on the surface area to be anesthetised.
• Do not exceed:
  • Child: 5 mg/kg/injection
  • Adult: 200 mg = 20 ml of lidocaine 1% or 10 ml of lidocaine 2%

Duration

• One injection, repeated if necessary.

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

• Do not administer if known allergy to lidocaine, impaired cardiac conduction.
• When anaesthetising the extremities, inject distally (at the base), in circle, without tourniquet and without epinephrine (adrenaline).
• Do not use lidocaine for the incision of abscesses: risk of spreading the infection.
• Lidocaine with epinephrine (adrenaline):
  • in dental surgery, epinephrine added to lidocaine prolongs anaesthesia;
  • never use solutions with epinephrine for the anaesthesia of extremities (fingers, penile nerve block): risk of ischemia and necrosis.
• Pregnancy: no contra-indication
• Breast-feeding: no contra-indication

Remarks

• Anaesthesia is produced within 2 to 5 minutes and lasts 1 to 1.5 hours.
• Do not confuse with lidocaine 5% hyperbaric which is reserved for spinal anaesthesia.
• The more concentrated the lidocaine, the more localised the anaesthetic effect.
• To simplify protocols, use lidocaine 2% with epinephrine for dental anaesthesia and lidocaine 1% without epinephrine for cutaneous anaesthesia.

Storage