title: Local anesthetics and their adjuncts.
abstract: Local anesthetics (LA) block propagation of impulses along nerve fibers by inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels, which initiate action potentials (1). They act on the cytosolic side of phospholipid membranes. Two main chemical compounds are used, amino esters and amino amides. Amino esters are degraded by pseudocholinesterases in plasma. Amino amides are metabolized exclusively by the liver. Only amide LAs will be considered in this article.
authors.affiliation: Département d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris-Sud, AP-HP, Le Kremlin-Bicětre, France. jean-xavier.mazoit@u-psud.fr
authors.forename: Jean-Xavier
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Mazoit
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000187:drug effects; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000187:drug effects; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia; D000779:Anesthetics, Local