Drug Groups

approved

Description

A local anesthetic of the amide type now generally used for surface anesthesia. It is one of the most potent and toxic of the long-acting local anesthetics and its parenteral use is restricted to spinal anesthesia. (From Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 30th ed, p1006)

Indication

For production of local or regional anesthesia by infiltration techniques such as percutaneous injection and intravenous regional anesthesia by peripheral nerve block techniques such as brachial plexus and intercostal and by central neural techniques such as lumbar and caudal epidural blocks.

Pharmacology

Dibucaine is an amide-type local anesthetic, similar to lidocaine.

Toxicity

Subcutaneous LD₅₀ in rat is 27 mg/kg. Symptoms of overdose include convulsions, hypoxia, acidosis, bradycardia, arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.

Affected Organisms

Biotransformation

Primarily hepatic.

Absorption

In general, ionized forms (salts) of local anesthetics are not readily absorbed through intact skin. However, both nonionized (bases) and ionized forms of local anesthetics are readily absorbed through traumatized or abraded skin into the systemic circulation.

References

External Links