Local anesthetics 2 Flashcards
Select the true statement regarding the primary mechanism of action of local anesthetics.
a. the conjugate acid binds to the extracellular portion of the sodium channel
b. the conjugate acid binds to the intracellular portion of the sodium channel
c. the uncharged base binds to the extracellular portion of the sodium channel
d. the uncharged base binds to the intracellular portion of the sodium channels
b. conjugate acid binds to the intracellular portion of the sodium channel
Local anesthetics are
weak bases
After you inject local anesthetic around a nerve, the local anesthetic rapidly
dissociates into an uncharged base (LA) and an ionized conjugate acid (LA+)
Since local anesthetics are weak bases with pKa values higher than 7.4, we can predict that
> 50% of the local anesthetic will exist as the ionized, conjugate acid
Only ________- binds to the local anesthetic binding site
ionized, conjugate acid
The sodium channel remains in the closed, inactivated state until
enough local anesthetic diffuses away; during this time it’s resistant to depolariziation
Some of the non-ionized local anesthetic molecules diffuse thorugh
the lipid-rich axolemma
once inside, a new equilibrium between LA and La+ is established ;
What 3 paths can a local anesthetic travel after it’s injected near a peripheral nerve?
- diffuse into the nerve
- diffuse into surrounding tissue and bind to neighboring proteins
- diffuse into the systemic circulation
A patient states she experienced hypotension, tachycardia, and shortness of breath after receiving tetracaine during a previous surgery. Which drugs should be avoided in this patient? (select 3)
a. benzocaine
b. chloroprocaine
c. EMLA cream
d. articaine
e. cocaine
f. mepivacaine
a. benzocaine
b. chloroprocaine
e. cocaine
What are the two classes of local anesthetics?
esters & amides
The local anesthetic molecule is constructed from three key components:
benzene ring
intermediate side chain
tertiary amine
__________determines the local anesthetic’s drug class
the intermediate side chain
The intermediate side chain determines how
each drug class is metabolized
Amide-type local anesthetics are metabolized
in the liver by the P450 system
Ester- type local anesthetics are metabolized
in the plasma by pseudocholinesterase
What are the ester-type local anesthetics?
benzocaine
cocaine
chloroprocaine
procaine
tetracaine
What are the amide-type local anesthetics?
bupivacaine
dibucaine
lidocaine
mepivacaine
ropivacaine
All the amides have
two “i’s” in their names
Although true allergy to local anesthetics is rare, it is more common with
esters due to PABA
If a patient has experienced a true allergy with an ester, the safest course is to
change to a preservative free amide
Is there cross sensitivity between esters and amides?
no
What is PABA?
para-aminobenzoic acid
can be found in ester LA
Which characteristics correlate BEST with local anesthetic duration of action?
a. protein binding
b. lipid solubility
c. pKa
d. concentration
a. protein binding