Bupivacaine
Marcaine
Bupivacaine is a long-acting local anesthetic used for regional anesthesia, epidural analgesia, and nerve blocks, particularly in surgical and obstetric settings.
Quick Facts
- Indication: Local anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, postoperative pain management.
- Dosage: Infiltration: 0.25–0.5% up to 175 mg/kg; Epidural: 0.25–0.5% at 10–20 mL/hr; Spinal: 0.75% at 7.5–15 mg.
- Side Effects: Cardiotoxicity, Hypotension, Seizures, Paresthesia, Allergic reactions
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Details
- Drug Class: Local Anesthetic
- Administration: Infiltration, Epidural, Spinal
- Pregnancy Category: C
- Legal Status: Prescription only
- Forms & Strengths: 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75% Solution for injection (10 mL, 30 mL vials), 0.5% Epidural solution (30 mL)
- Manufacturer: Pfizer, Fresenius Kabi
Research Highlights
Wang et al. (2024) found bupivacaine provided effective epidural analgesia in labor with low rates of motor blockade when used at lower concentrations (0.1–0.25%) (Wang et al., 2024).
Read full studyReferences
- Catterall W A, Mackie K. (2011). Local Anesthetics. Goodman & Gilman's Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics https://doi.org/10.1036/0071624422
- Wang J, Li X, Zhang Y. (2024). Bupivacaine in Obstetric Epidural Analgesia. Anesthesiology https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000004573