Successful resuscitation following massive bupivacaine overdose.

Albright (I) reported six cases of cardiovascular collapse following the use of bupivacaine or etidocaine for local anesthesia. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in these patients was either unsuccessful o r difficult and prolonged. We report events in a patient who had grand ma1 seizures and ventricular tachycardia following scalp infiltration with more than 4 times the usually recommended dose of bupivacaine. Nevertheless, control of seizures and cardiac resuscitation were quickly achieved without adverse sequelae. Unusual here was the administration of lidocaine (like bupivacaine, an amide local anesthetic) to aid in conversion of ventricular tachycardia.