Lidocaine Infusions for Pain Management in Pediatrics

Elizabeth A Hall1, Hannah E Sauer2, Margaret S Davis3

  • 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, Memphis, TN, USA. liz.hall@uthsc.edu.

Paediatric Drugs
|May 26, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Continuous intravenous lidocaine infusions offer a valuable option for managing refractory pain in children when standard treatments fail or are contraindicated. This review evaluates its use in pediatric pain management.

Area of Science:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Lidocaine is a widely recognized amino amide local anesthetic.
  • Systemic intravenous lidocaine administration is utilized for various acute and chronic pain conditions.
  • It is considered for refractory pain unresponsive to conventional therapies or when standard treatments are limited by side effects or contraindications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and evaluate published data on the use of continuous lidocaine infusions for pain management.
  • To assess the efficacy and safety of this treatment modality in the pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of published literature.
  • Evaluation of studies reporting the use of continuous lidocaine infusions in pediatric patients for pain management.

Main Results:

  • Continuous lidocaine infusions have demonstrated utility in managing diverse pain types, including postoperative, neuropathic, and centrally mediated pain.
  • This method can be employed as a standalone intervention or in a series of infusions.
  • The review focuses on data specific to the pediatric population.

Conclusions:

  • Continuous intravenous lidocaine infusions represent a viable therapeutic strategy for pediatric pain management, particularly in refractory cases.
  • Further evaluation of its role in specific pediatric pain syndromes is warranted.

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