Lidocaine removal during resin hemoperfusion for phenobarbital intoxication

A deeply comatose patient with severe phenobarbital intoxication was hemoperfused with an Amerlite XAD-4 column. She was receiving lidocaine for ventricular ectopy. The rate of lidocaine infusion had to be increased to control ventricular arrhythmias during hemoperfusion. Plasma clearance for lidocaine by the column was 122 ml/min at initiation and 75 ml/min at 2 h. These findings suggest that an increment in lidocaine infusion may be needed during resin hemoperfusion in patients receiving this drug because of its removal by the column.