Lidocaine Health Dictionary

ARRHYTHMIA is a variation in the normal rhythm of the heartbeat. Management of the condition requires accurate diagnosis of the type, and ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY is vital in this process (see HEART, DISEASES OF). Drug treatment is usually part of the management, and antiarrhythmic drugs can be divided clinically into those that act on supraventricular arrhythmias, those that act on both supraventricular and ventricular arrythmias, and those that act on ventricular arrythmias. Respective examples are VERAPAMIL, DISOPYRAMIDE and LIDOCAINE. This large group of drugs can also be classi?ed according to their effects on the electrical reactions of active myocardial cells. The many drugs available are described in the British National Formulary.... antiarrhythmic drugs

A local anaesthetic, about four times as potent as LIDOCAINE. It has a slow onset of action (up to 30 minutes for full e?ect), but its e?ect lasts up to eight hours, making it particularly suitable for continuous epidural analgesia in labour (see PREGNANCY AND LABOUR). It is commonly used for spinal anaesthesia, particularly lumbar epidural blockade (see ANAESTHESIA). It is contraindicated in intravenous regional anaesthesia.... bupivacaine

One of the ANTIARRHYTHMIC DRUGS given by intravenous injection after myocardial infarction to restore supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias to normal, particularly when patients have not responded to lidocaine (lignocaine). It can impair the contractility of heart muscle and it does have an antimuscarinic e?ect (see ANTIMUSCARINE); consequently its administration has to be undertaken with care, especially in patients with GLAUCOMA or enlargement.... disopyramide

A length of thread or other material used for ligation.lightening A feeling experienced by many pregnant women when the baby’s head descends into the pelvic cavity. Lightening usually occurs in the final 3 weeks of pregnancy, leaving more space in the upper abdomen and relieving pressure under the diaphragm. light treatment See phototherapy. lignocaine Former name for lidocaine. limb, artificial An artificial leg or arm, known medically as a prosthesis, which is fitted to replace a limb that has been missing from birth or lost as a result of amputation (see limb defects).... ligature

n. loss of feeling or sensation in a part or all of the body. Anaesthesia of a part of the body may occur as a result of injury to or disease of a nerve; for example in trauma. The term is usually applied, however, to the technique of reducing or abolishing an individual’s sensation of pain to enable surgery to be performed. This is effected by administering drugs (see anaesthetic).

General anaesthesia is total unconsciousness, usually achieved by administering a combination of injections and gases (the latter are inhaled through a mask). Local anaesthesia abolishes pain in a limited area of the body and is used for minor operations, particularly many dental procedures. It may be achieved by injections of substances such as lidocaine close to a local nerve, which deadens the tissues supplied by that nerve. Local anaesthesia may be combined with intravenous sedation. An appropriate injection into the spinal column produces *spinal anaesthesia or *epidural anaesthesia in the lower limbs or abdomen. Regional anaesthesia, usually of a limb, is achieved by encircling local anaesthetic solutions or direct application of anaesthetic to one or more peripheral nerves.... anaesthesia

1. n. an agent that reduces or abolishes sensation, affecting either the whole body (general anaesthetic) or a particular area or region (local anaesthetic). General anaesthetics, used for surgical procedures, depress activity of the central nervous system, producing loss of consciousness. *Anaesthesia is induced by intravenous anaesthetics, such as *thiopental, etomidate, or propofol, and maintained by inhalation anaesthetics (such as *sevoflurane). Local anaesthetics inhibit conduction of impulses in sensory nerves in the region where they are injected or applied; they include *tetracaine, *bupivacaine, and *lidocaine. 2. adj. reducing or abolishing sensation.... anaesthetic

adj. describing a group of drugs used to correct irregularities in the heartbeat (see arrhythmia). They include *adenosine, *amiodarone, *verapamil, *disopyramide, *flecainide, and *lidocaine.... anti-arrhythmic

a cream containing a eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics (*lidocaine and *prilocaine; hence the name). Applied to the skin as a thick coating and left on for a maximum of 90 minutes, it gives a helpful degree of local anaesthesia, allowing blood samples to be taken and facilitating biopsy procedures in young children.... emla cream

n. see lidocaine.... lignocaine

a method of producing *anaesthesia in part of the body by blocking the passage of pain impulses in the sensory nerves supplying it. A local anaesthetic, such as lidocaine, is injected into the tissues in the region of a nerve. In this way anaesthesia can be localized, so that minor operations can be performed without the necessity of giving a general anaesthetic. A *ring block is a common technique used for anaesthetizing a digit.... nerve block

(extrasystole) a heartbeat due to an impulse generated somewhere in the heart outside the sinoatrial node. Ectopic beats are generally premature in timing; they are classified as supraventricular if they originate in the atria and ventricular if they arise from a focus in the ventricles. They may be produced by any heart disease, by nicotine from smoking, or by caffeine from excessive tea or coffee consumption; they are common in normal individuals. The patient may be unaware of their presence or may feel that his heart has ‘missed a beat’. Ectopic beats may be suppressed by drugs such as quinidine, propranolol, and lidocaine; avoidance of smoking and reduction in excessive tea or coffee intake may help. See arrhythmia.... ectopic beat