Structure
Lidocaine hydrochloride is an amide-type local anesthetic with a diethylaminoethyl side chain attached to a 1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-4-imidazolidinone core. It exists as the hydrochloride salt to enhance solubility.
Chemical Formula: C₁₂H₂₁N₃O · HCl
Mode of Action
Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockade: Inhibits sodium influx in neurons and cardiac cells, preventing action potential initiation and propagation.
Membrane Stabilization: Stabilizes neuronal membranes by increasing threshold for action potential generation.
Anticonvulsant and Antiarrhythmic Effects: Reduces neuronal excitability and suppresses ventricular arrhythmias.
Uses of Lidocaine hydrochloride
Local Anesthesia: Provides numbing in surgical procedures, dental work, and minor skin surgeries.
Cardiac Arrhythmias: Treats ventricular arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.
Epilepsy: Used intravenously as an anticonvulsant in status epilepticus.
Pain Management: Employed in nerve blocks and epidural anesthesia.