No abstract

Lipid emulsion speeds loss of bupivacaine from cardiac tissue while accelerating recovery from bupivacaine-induced asystole. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that bupivacaine partitions into the emulsion and supports the concept of a "lipid sink." However, the data do not exclude other possible mechanisms of action.

We found that infusing a lipid emulsion during resuscitation from bupivacaine-induced cardiac toxicity substantially improved hemodynamics, pmO2, and pHm and increased survival in dogs.