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Levobupivacaine
- indication:For the production of local or regional anesthesia for surgery and obstetrics, and for post-operative pain management
- pharmacologypharmacology:
- mechanism: Local anesthetics such as Levobupivacaine block the generation and the conduction of nerve impulses, presumably by increasing the threshold for electrical excitation in the nerve, by slowing the propagation of the nerve impulse, and by reducing the rate of rise of the action potential. In general, the progression of anesthesia is related to the diameter, myelination and conduction velocity of affected nerve fibers. Specifically, the drug binds to the intracellular portion of sodium channels and blocks sodium influx into nerve cells, which prevents depolarization.
- toxicity:
- absorprion: The plasma concentration of levobupivacaine following therapeutic administration depends on dose and also on route of administration, because absorption from the site of administration is affected by the vascularity of the tissue. Peak levels in blood were reached approximately 30 minutes after epidural administration, and doses up to 150 mg resulted in mean C<sub>max</sub> levels of up to 1.2 µg/mL.
- halflife: 3.3 hours
- roouteelimination:
- volumedistribution:
- clearance: