Anesthetic drugs are used during surgical procedures to cause sedation or reduce the ability to feel. MedlinePlus says there are four types of anesthetic drugs. Local anesthesia numbs a small area of the body. Intravenous administration of a mild sedative and a pain reliever is used for some types of procedures. Regional anesthesia blocks pain in a large area of the body. General anesthesia blocks pain throughout the body while the patient sleeps. Despite benefits, anesthetic drugs have side effects.
Lidocaine
Lidocaine hydrochloride is a local anesthetic administered by injection, intravenously, cream, ointment or spray. According to Drugs.com, lidocaine is indicated for the production of topical anesthesia of the mucous membranes of the respiratory and genito-urinary tracts, and can be injected to anesthetize the larynx, trachea and behind the eyes for ophthalmic surgery. The product label warns the product can be toxic and some patients can experience chondrolysis, the breakdown of the articular cartridge which is a part of bones that are in contact with each other.
Side effects from lidocaine are dose related that could result from high plasma levels caused by excessive dosage, rapid absorption or inadvertent intravascular injection, or diminished tolerance by the patient. Central nervous system side effects include light-headedness, nervousness, apprehension, euphoria, confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, ringing in the ears, blurred or double vision, vomiting, numbness, sensations of extreme temperatures, twitching, tremors, convulsions, unconsciousness, respiratory depression and arrest. Cardiovascular side effects include slow heart rate, low blood pressure, cardiovascular collapse and cardiac arrest. Patients with allergic reactions could experience skin lesions, swelling, or anaphylactic shock.
Succinylcholine Chloride
Succinylcholine chloride is a neuromuscular blocking agent used as a regional anesthetic to block pain in procedures on hands, arms, legs, feet and childbirth. Succinylcholine chloride is an ultra short-acting skeletal muscle relaxant for intravenous administration, according to DrugLib.com. The product label warns that succinylcholine chloride can cause cardiac arrest, rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of skeletal muscle that can lead to kidney failure, and high levels of potassium in the blood that could peak 10 days later and cause abnormal heart rhythm and death, and malignant hyperthermia, a potentially fatal condition involving rising body temperature and spasms of the jaw and skeletal muscle. Side effects include slowing of the heart rate, respiratory depression, discontinuation of breathing, cardiac arrest, low blood pressure, postoperative muscle pain, excessive salivation and skin rash.
Propofol
Propofol is an anesthetic drug used as part of general anesthesia. Propofol is the active pharmaceutical agent in Diprivan, a brand name prescription sedative-hypnotic administrated intravenously and indicated for both induction and maintenance of anesthesia as part of patient and outpatient surgery in patients older than 3 years of age, according to the product label. Side effects from propofol include cardiac arrhythmia, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, cessation of breathing and skin rash. Propofol could also be fatal. Research conducted by J. Eriksen of the Department of Anesthesia at Holstebro Hospital in Holstebro, Denmark, and published in "Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica" in 2006, reported a case of a patient who was sedated with propofol and died.
References
- MedlinePlus: Anesthesia
- Drugs.com: Lidocaine
- DrugLib.com: Anectine (Succinylcholine Chloride)
- AstraZeneca: Diprivan Prescribing Information
- "Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica"; A Case of Suspected Non-Neurosurgical Adult Fatal Propofol Infusion Syndrome; Eriksen, J.; Jan 2006
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