Xylocaine (Lignocaine HCl)

Description

Xylocaine contains Lignocaine Hydrochloride (Lidocaine HCl), a gold-standard amide-type local anesthetic manufactured by Barrett Hodgson Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., that works by reversibly blocking voltage-gated sodium channels in neuronal cell membranes, preventing the generation and propagation of action potentials along sensory, motor, and autonomic nerve fibers, thereby producing complete and reversible loss of sensation, and at higher concentrations, motor blockade in the targeted area, with an onset of action of 2–5 minutes and duration of 1–2 hours depending on the site of administration, concentration used, and presence or absence of a vasoconstrictor. Available in multiple formulations including 2% Injection, 4% Solution, 5% Ointment, 2% Gel, and combination with Adrenaline, Xylocaine offers versatile anesthetic coverage across a broad range of clinical applications including infiltration anesthesia, nerve blocks, epidural and spinal anesthesia, topical mucosal anesthesia, and intravenous regional anesthesia (Bier’s block), making it one of the most widely used local anesthetics globally across surgical, dental, obstetric, and emergency medicine settings. It is indicated for local and regional anesthesia in minor and major surgical procedures, dental extractions, obstetric procedures, wound suturing, endoscopic and urological procedures, and also finds use as an intravenous antiarrhythmic agent for the acute management of ventricular arrhythmias including ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation following myocardial infarction. Xylocaine should be used with strict attention to maximum safe dosage limits — 3mg/kg without adrenaline and 7mg/kg with adrenaline — and is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to amide-type local anesthetics, severe heart block, and Stokes-Adams syndrome, with CNS toxicity (perioral tingling, tinnitus, convulsions) and cardiovascular depression being the most serious adverse effects of systemic overdose requiring immediate medical intervention.