Local Anaesthetic Pharmacology
Highlights
- A local anaesthetic can be defined as a drug which reversibly prevents transmission of the nerve impulse in the region to which it is applied, without affecting consciousness (View Highlight)
- The ester linkage is more easily broken than the amide bond so the ester drugs are less stable in solution and cannot be stored for as long as amides. (View Highlight)
- due to new legislation, some of the newer local anaesthetics are described in terms of the quantity of free base present alone, in contrast to the older drugs which are described in terms of the quantity of total hydrochloride salt present. This is why, for example, 10ml of 0.5% bupivacaine (a racemic mixture) contains fewer local anaesthetic molecules than 10ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine (View Highlight)