The Effect of Lidocaine Infusion on the Ventilatory Response to Hypoxia

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Abstract
The effect of lidocaine infusion on the ventilatory response to isocapnic hypoxia was studied in 9 healthy male subjects. Lidocaine infusion (serum concentration 3.6 .+-. 0.1 .mu.g/ml) was associated with a decrease in the shape factor, "A," of the hypoxic ventilatory response in 8 of the 9 subjects (P < 0.02). Overall, "A" decreased from 419 .+-. 102 1 .cntdot. min-1 .cntdot. mm Hg before lidocaine to 335 .+-. 77 1 .cntdot. min-1 .cntdot. mm Hg during lidocaine infusion (.hivin.x .+-. SEM [Standard error of the mean], n = 9). Despite significant intersubject variability, clinically useful serum lidocaine concentrations evidently depress hypoxic ventilatory drive. Patients with CO2 retention, whose resting ventilation depends on hypoxic drive, may be at risk of ventilatory failure when lidocaine is administered for arrhythmia control or regional anesthesia.

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