Lipid Emulsion Treatment for Drug Toxicity Caused by Nonlocal Anesthetic Drugs in Pediatric Patients

A Narrative Review

Abstract

Objective 

Lipid emulsion (LE) has been used to treat children with cardiovascular collapse induced by toxic doses of nonlocal anesthetics with high lipid solubility. We aimed to analyze case reports on LE administration for resuscitation of toxicity induced by these drugs in pediatric patients.

Methods 

Case reports involving pediatric patients undergoing LE treatment for toxicity caused by nonlocal anesthetic drugs until December 31, 2021, were searched through PubMed and Scopus using the following terms: “toxicity, or intoxication, or poisoning, or overdose” and “LE or intralipid.”

Results 

Twenty-eight cases on LE treatment for toxicity induced by nonlocal anesthetic drugs in pediatric patients (younger than 19 years) were retrieved. The total number of patients was 31. Lipid emulsion treatment was carried out during toxicity caused by amitriptyline, flecainide, bupropion, propranolol, and lamotrigine, which was unresponsive to supportive treatment. These drugs are highly lipid-soluble and inhibit cardiac sodium channels, which is similar to pharmacological properties of the local anesthetic bupivacaine. The most frequent method of delivery involved bolus administration followed by continuous infusion; 1.5 mL/kg LE administration followed by 0.25 mL/kg/min LE was most frequently used. Lipid emulsion improved various symptoms of drug toxicity in 29 patients (29/31, 93.54%), and symptoms were improved in 14 patients (14/31, 45.16%) within an h after LE administration. The trend in frequency of improved symptoms after LE treatment was as follows: the cardiovascular symptom alone > symptoms of the central nervous system alone > symptoms of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. The adverse effects of LE treatment in the reported cases were hypertriglyceridemia, mild pancreatitis, and elevated levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransaminases.

Conclusions 

Lipid emulsion treatment may be effective in ameliorating intractable cardiovascular depression when systemic toxicity caused by drugs, including cardiac sodium channel blockers, is unresponsive to supportive treatments.