Local anesthetic

A drug that temporarily blocks nerve conduction in a limited area, reducing sensation without causing loss of consciousness.

Voltage-gated sodium channel: A membrane protein that opens in response to voltage changes, allowing sodium ions to enter cells. Local anesthetics bind these channels and reduce the sodium current needed to propagate nerve impulses.
Lidocaine: An amide local anesthetic used for infiltration, nerve blocks, topical anesthesia, and other clinical purposes. It is a widely used example of a local anesthetic with several routes of administration.
Amide local anesthetic: A local anesthetic whose characteristic intermediate linkage is an amide bond. Lidocaine and bupivacaine belong to this major chemical class.
General anesthesia: A drug-induced state of unconsciousness with reduced responsiveness to stimulation, typically used for surgery. Unlike local anesthesia, it affects consciousness rather than only a limited sensory region.
Use-dependent block: A drug block that strengthens when its target is activated repeatedly or spends more time in an open state. Frequently firing nerves expose channel states that local anesthetics block especially effectively.
Bupivacaine: A long-acting amide local anesthetic used for regional and neuraxial anesthesia. Its prolonged action suits blocks intended to last beyond a brief procedure.
Ester local anesthetic: A local anesthetic whose characteristic intermediate linkage is an ester bond. This class differs from amides in metabolism and susceptibility to certain allergic reactions.
Regional anesthesia: Anesthesia that blocks sensation across a larger body region by interrupting nerve transmission. Local anesthetics can create regional anesthesia when delivered to nerves or neuraxial spaces.
Nerve conduction: The propagation of electrical impulses along a nerve fiber. Local anesthesia works by interrupting this process in sensory nerves.
Local infiltration anesthesia: Anesthetic delivered into tissue around a small operative site to numb nearby nerve endings. It applies local anesthetic directly where minor procedures are performed.

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