Local Anesthetics Flashcards
Local Anesthetics
- Produce temporary conduction blockade of impulses along central &/or peripheral nerve pathways
- Spontaneous, complete return of nerve conduction as drug is cleared from site of action (No evidence of damage to nerve fibers due to drug effects)
Local Anesthetics (preparation)
• Prepared as hydrochloride salts
– Acidic solution, water‐soluble (pH 4‐7)
Local Anesthetics (ionization)
• Weak bases (pKs 7.6‐9.1)
– More non‐ionized in solutions with greater alkalinity relative to the drug
-more ionized at physiological pH
LA (ionized vs non-ionized forms)
• Lipid‐soluble (non‐ionized) form crosses the axon membrane to its intracellular site of action
• Ionized form is the active form at the sodium channel in then axon (intracellular)
– Both ionized and non‐ionized forms may attach to Na+ channel at different sites to inactivate.

Alkanization
• Addition of NaHCO3
– speeds onset
• Increases non‐ionized fraction
– Enhances depth of sensory and motor blockade
• More drug reaches intracellular site of action by crossing neural cell lipid membranes
– Intracellularly, the non‐ionized form equilibrates with the ionized form based on intracellular pH
– 1 mEq NaHCO3 / 10 cc (Lido or Mepiv) – 0.1 mEq NaHCO3 / 10 cc (Bupiv)
Ion Trapping
• IonTrappingmayoccurwhenthereisapHgradient across membranes because only the non‐ionized (non protein‐bound), lipid‐soluble fraction equilibrates across cell membranes
– Ex. Fetal blood pH is lower than maternal blood pH
• Administration of weak bases (i.e., opioids and LAs) to parturients results in accumulation of drug in the fetus
Structure Activity Relationship
• Lipophilic group (generally a benzene ring, such as PABA) separated by a hydrophilic group (usually a tertiary amine) by
– An aminoamide linkage – An aminoester linkage
• Classification
• The linkage is the basis for classification of LAs as – Amides vs. Esters
Potency correlates with…
lipid solubility
modification of the chemical structure alters…
pharmacologic effects:
- solubility
- potency
- rate of metabolism
- duration of action
Pipecoloxylidides
chiral drugs
- Mepivivaine
- Bupivicaine
- Roppivavaine
- Levobupivicaine
Available in racemic mixtures…
-Mepivicaine
-Bupivicaine
-S enantiomers are less toxic than R enantiomers
(vary in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicity)
LA mechanism (ionization)
- The non‐ionized form of a LA crosses the lipid axon membrane
- The drug’s ionized and non‐ionized forms equilibrate within the cell
- The ionized form of the drug is the active form of the drug within the cell &/or the non‐ ionized form may inactivate the channel
LA (state of channel)
• LA binding to the Na+ channel (intracellularly) is dependent on the conformational state of the channel
– Activated, open
– Inactivated, closed
– Resting, closed
LA (MOA)
• LAs prevent transmission of nerve impulses by binding to (blocking) sodium channels of the axon in the inactive‐closed state intracellularly
– The ionized form of the drug binds to the inactive, closed, sodium channel
• The ionized form is the active form of the drug intracellularly
– Slows rate of depolarization so threshold cannot be reached
• No action potential is propagated
LAs do not alter threshold for propagation nor do they alter resting
transmembrane potential
Sodium Channel Blockade “frequency dependent”
• Sodium channel blockade by LAs is“frequency‐ dependent”
– Na+ channels recover between action potentials and develop additional conduction blockade each time the Na+ channel opens
• More frequent action potentialsfaster the nerve is blocked by LA • Small, unmyelinated fibers are more easily blocked
than large, myelinated fibers – Autonomic>sensory>motor
Minimal Concentration (Cm)
• Cm
– The concentration of LA required to produce conduction blockade of nerve impulses
– Motor fibers have 2x the Cm as sensory fibers
• Recall that sensory fibers are blocked at lower concentrations than motor fibers and autonomic fibers are more easily blocked (at lower concentrations) than sensory fibers
Differential Blockade in Neuraxial Anesthesia
• Increasesinconcentrationsinterruptautonomic, sensory, and motor pathways
– Autonomic blockade at lowest concentrations • “Sympathectomy”
– Sensory blockade at low to moderate conc. • Pain and temperature
– Motor blockade at higher concentrations (2x Cm)
• Variable degree of motor paralysis at concentrations used for surgical procedures depending on dose, site, agent, etc
Nerves at the ____________ are blocked prior to nerves near the ____________ of the nerve bundle.
- mantle
- core
d/t diffusion
LA (other mechanisms)
- may also block voltage-dependent K channels
- the is evidence of activity on G-protein coupled receptors as well
Differential Blockade (thickness, myelination, sensory/motor)
• Thin fibers more easily blocked than thick fibers
• Unmyelinated fibers more easily blocked than myelinated
– Need to block Na+ channels at the Nodes of Ranvier • 2‐3 Nodes of Ranvier must be blocked to produce blockade
• Possible to block pain and temperature fibers (A‐ delta and C fibers) in the absence of motor blockade using very lo [c]
– “Walking epidural”
Sequence of Blockade
– Sympathetic blockade—First (vasodilate)
• Autonomic blockade (“sympathectomy”)
• B fibers
– Pain and Temp blockade (loss of pain)
• A‐delta and C fibers
-Proprioception (Inability to determine body position/loc)
• A‐alpha (type Ia and Ib) and A‐beta (type II)
– Touch and Pressure (Often pts feel pressure/vibration)
• A‐beta
– Motor—Last
• A‐gamma fibers
LA (PK)
• LAs are injected into tissues near their target site of action
– Rarely adm IV or arterially (intentionally)
• Absorption and circulation take the drug
away from its site of action
Determinants of toxicity and elimination
• Vascularity of the tissue
-– High plasma concentrations are undesirable due to the potential for toxic effects
Absorption (mucous membranes)
• Mucous membranes are a weak barrier to absorption of LAs (d/t vascularity)
– Easily absorbed into circulation from trachea
Absorption (skin)
• Skin requires high water content for
absorption
– Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetics (EMLA) cream is available for dermal analgesia
• 1:1 ratio of 5% lidocaine and 5% prilocaine emulsion
– Should not be used on mucous membranes or broken skin
EMLA 1 hour for good effect. DOA up to 2 hours. Limit to small area. 1- 2 gm/10 cm2
Caution in patients with predisposition for methemoglobinemia
Blood Flow (absorption) dependent on…
• Site of injection
– “TICPEBSS”
• Addition of vasoconstrictor to LA (epi)
– Epi causes vasoconstriction locally
– Decreased perfusion- ↓absorption into blood
» Prolongs the action of the LA
• The LA used
– Drugs with hi affinity for tissue proteins are absorbed more slowly – Cocaine is the only LA with intrinsic vasoconstrictor properties
Distribution depends on…
- Organ Uptake
- Tissue: Blood partition Coefficient
- Tissue Mass
Organ Uptake
- central compartment responsible for rapid uptake (IV)
- after IV administration, the is significant fist pass pulmonary uptake
Tissue: Blood Partition Coefficient
- a measure of affinity of a drug for different tissues/states
- Hi tissue:blood coefficient implies a greater affinity for the tissue, the tissue will hold greater concentrations of the drug than the blood at equilibrium
Tissue Mass
muscle is often a reservoir d/t it’s mass (decreased in elderly)
Esters (metabolism and excretion)
• Metabolized by pseudocholinesterase
– Rapid hydrolysis
(Systemic toxicity is indirectly proportional to the rate of hydrolysis of esters
Rate of hydrolysis)
» Chloroprocaine > procaine > tetracaine
» water‐soluble metabolites excreted in urine
– Prolonged DOA and increased potential for toxicity with atypical plasma cholinesterase, pregnancy, renal insufficiency
Procaine and benzocaine metabolized to….
PABA – Allergen
the only ester that is partially metabolized by the liver
Cocaine-
N‐methylation as well as hydrolysis
– Partially excreted unchanged in the urine