I am an EMT and epinephrine and lidocaine are front line cardiac drugs in emergency settings. Repeated doses of epinephrine are administered in cardiac arrests in an attempt to stimulate the heart. Lidocaine is used to stabilize a variety of irregular heart rhythms(arrythmias). In addition to being administered through an IV, these drugs can also be squirted down an endotracheal tube for direct access to the lungs and then into the body's circulation.

Epinephrine is also used to treat severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) and acts as a vasoconstrictor. It is the ingredient in those "epi pens" that people suspectible to such conditions carry.

Phil

hi dr mejia
thanks for the detailed reply
i`m not concerned for myself re allergic reactions,i was just curious.
i only get a bad reaction when i`ve got to hand my money over

Chucky:

I would recommend you take some benadryl every time you reach for your wallet.

Aside from the actual procedure, it is beyond imperative that any surgeon or even dentist doing minor surgery knows every medication in your regimen. I know of sad tales...

Dr. Mejia,

As a Facial Plastic Surgeon who does hair and lifts in Virginia, I think you gave a great potential explanation of anesthesia dosages and toxicity. Right out of a lecture. Good job, and good reassurance.

William Lindsey MD Reston VA

How about the 18 year old girl from Florida who died today after the breast implants? I guess we all need to remember there is no risk free surgery.

quote:

Originally posted by Dewayne:
How about the 18 year old girl from Florida who died today after the breast implants? I guess we all need to remember there is no risk free surgery.

From what I have been able to find out she had a very rare (like 1 in 500,000) reaction to the general. Our anesthesiologists keep drugs on hand for this occurrence, The articles I read said that the drug was not administered until she reached the hospital. The chance of survival drops very fast the longer it takes to receive this drug.

It is a very emotional case as she was trying to correct cosmetic “defects”, an inverted nipple and a difference in breast size. She had a very promising future from all accounts and I am sure will be missed. However there are no tests that I know of to check for this reaction.

You could get electrocuted typing on your computer in this forum and have a heart attack. It always sucks to be on the shit end of any statistic.