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Abstract

Local anesthesia in clinical practice has existed since 1884, when Carl Koller demonstrated that cocaine could be used locally to anesthetize tissue during eye surgery. Since then, a number of local anesthetic agents have been developed and marketed, each with specific properties and preferred applications. This chapter provides a background on the structure, action, and pharmacokinetics of local anesthetics. Also covered are the toxic effects of local anesthetics and methods to address local anesthetic toxicity. By the end of the chapter, the reader will have a good understanding of the properties of local anesthetics in general and their use in the pediatric population.

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Correspondence to Derek Dillane MB BCh BAO, MMedSci, FCARCSI .

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Dillane, D. (2016). Pediatric Pharmacological Considerations. In: Tsui, B., Suresh, S. (eds) Pediatric Atlas of Ultrasound- and Nerve Stimulation-Guided Regional Anesthesia. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79964-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79964-3_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-79963-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79964-3

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