[Pharmacokinetics of local anesthetics]

This article first looks at the pharmacokinetics of local anesthetic agents injected intravenously, and then looks at the possible practical applications of this technique: the choice of a local anesthetic agent as a function of its toxic side effects, the use of lidocaïne in local and regional intravenous anesthesia, and the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. Finally the article envisages the pharmacokinetics of local anesthetic agents used in local-regional anesthesia. This depends on the following factors: the site of injection, the dosage, the speed of injection, the possible addition of adrenalin and the nature of the local anesthetic itself. On the basis of a personal study the authors underline the difficulty of being precise in the pharmacokinetics of local anesthetic agents injected by the peridural route continuously or discontinuously.