title: Intravenous lidocaine infusion in the treatment of experimental human skin burns - digital colour image analysis of erythema development.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that local anaesthetics possess a wide range of effects on the pathophysiology of burns, including inhibition of burn oedema and inhibition of progressive burn ischemia. The present randomised double-blind cross-over study in six volunteers investigated the effects of intravenous lidocaine infusion on partial thickness skin burns. A thermoprobe was used to induce a standardised thermal injury (1 cm(2)) on the flexor side of one forearm and was repeated on the opposite side 1 week later. Subjects received either an intravenous bolus dose of lidocaine (1 mg kg(-1)) immediately after the thermal trauma followed by continuous intravenous infusion of lidocaine (40 microg kg(-1) min(-1)) during 4 h or equal volumes of isotonic saline. Macrophotographs of the experimental skin area were taken preburn and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 12 h postburn and evaluated by computerised image colour analysis using normalised rgb (n-rgb) and Hue-Saturation-Intensity (HSI) colour systems as a quantitative measure of pathophysiological events. Maximum erythema occurred 2-3 h postburn. Differences between lidocaine- and placebo-treated burns were not significant during the first 4 h postburn. At 12 h postburn, the lidocaine-treated burn demonstrated a significantly faster restitution of residual erythema compared to control sites. The present study shows that intravenous lidocaine significantly inhibits the long-term inflammation-induced tissue responses to thermal trauma.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Endodontology/Oral Diagnosis, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mattsson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cassuto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tarnow
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jönsson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jontell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002056:Burns / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004890:Erythema / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D008012:Lidocaine