Lidocaine Injectable: Local Anaesthesia Dosing

Therapeutic action

Local anaesthetic.

Indications

• Local anaesthesia for minor operations using 1% lidocaine.
• Dental surgery using 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.

Dose

• The volume to be injected depends on the surface area to be anaesthetised.
• Do not exceed: child 5 mg/kg/injection.
• Do not exceed: adult 200 mg, equal to 20 ml of lidocaine 1% or 10 ml of lidocaine 2%.

Duration

One injection, repeated if necessary. Anaesthesia is produced within 2 to 5 minutes and lasts 1 to 1.5 hours.

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

• Do not administer if known allergy to lidocaine or impaired cardiac conduction.
• When anaesthetising the extremities, inject distally at the base, in a circle, without tourniquet and without epinephrine.
• Do not use lidocaine for the incision of abscesses due to the risk of spreading the infection.
• In dental surgery, epinephrine added to lidocaine prolongs anaesthesia.
• Never use solutions with epinephrine for anaesthesia of extremities such as fingers or for penile nerve block due to the risk of ischaemia and necrosis.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: no contra-indication.
• Do not confuse with lidocaine 5% hyperbaric, which is reserved for spinal anaesthesia.
• To simplify protocols, use lidocaine 2% with epinephrine for dental anaesthesia and lidocaine 1% without epinephrine for cutaneous anaesthesia.