Postanesthetic care in the critical care unit.

To purchase reprints, contact The InnoVision Group, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Phone, (800) 8092273 or (949) 362-2050 (ext 532); fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail, [email protected]. patients given local anesthetics also receive intravenous sedatives such as benzodiazepines to relieve anxiety. One of the main risks of local anesthesia is local toxic effects caused by accidental intravascular injection of the anesthetic or increased uptake of the agent from perivascular areas. Systemic toxic effects of local anesthetics are proportional to local anesthetic potency. The central nervous system is affected, and toxic effects are manifested as confusion, lethargy, and seizure activity.