Hadzic's Regional Anesthesia > Part II. Foundations of Regional Anesthesia > Section Two. Pharmacology > Chapter 6. Clinical Pharmacology of Local Anesthetics John Butterworth, MD

Clinical Pharmacology of Local Anesthetics: Introduction

"Local and regional anesthesia, defined as the selective numbing of a specific nerve distribution or region of the body to facilitate surgery, appear to be undergoing a renaissance, as judged by attendance at specialty meetings and numbers of published manuscripts. In contrast to general anesthesia, in which the molecular mechanism remains the subject of speculation, the site at which local anesthetic drugs bind to produce nerve blocks has been cloned and mutated. This chapter will focus on mechanisms of anesthesia and toxicity, especially as knowledge of these mechanisms will assist the clinician in conducting safer and more effective regional anesthetics. ..."