Intravenous lidocaine for the treatment of sepsis-associated encephalopathy: a retrospective cohort study

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative intravenous lidocaine administration in the management of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE).

This retrospective cohort analysis included 165 patients diagnosed with SAE, who were categorized into two groups: the lidocaine group (n = 55) and the control group (n = 110). The lidocaine group received an intravenous injection of lidocaine at 1.5 mg/kg following anesthesia induction, and then received a continuous infusion at 1.5 mg/kg/h until the completion of surgery. The control group did not receive lidocaine during surgery. Data collected included patient demographics, medical history, infection site, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, laboratory results, anesthetic agents used, surgery duration, and length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). The primary outcome was the in-hospital prognosis of SAE.

Patients in the lidocaine group had a significantly shorter ICU stay and a significantly higher rate of favorable prognosis compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age and surgery duration as risk factors for SAE prognosis, whereas intraoperative intravenous lidocaine, GCS score, and intravenous dexmedetomidine emerged as protective factors.

Intraoperative intravenous administration of lidocaine significantly enhanced the prognosis of SAE patients.