bupivacaine
Pronunciation: byoo-PIV-ah-kayn
A long-acting amide local anesthetic used in dentistry primarily for post-procedural pain management owing to its prolonged duration of action of four to twelve hours.
Full Definition
Bupivacaine is an amide local anesthetic available in dental cartridges at 0.5% concentration with 1:200,000 epinephrine. Its notably long duration—nerve block anesthesia persisting four to twelve hours—makes it unsuitable as a primary anesthetic for most operative dental procedures but highly advantageous for post-operative pain control, particularly after oral surgery. Self-inflicted soft-tissue injury (lip, tongue, or cheek biting) is a recognized risk, especially in pediatric patients, owing to prolonged lip and tongue numbness after the procedure. Editors should note the correct spelling (bupivacaine, not bupivicaine) and distinguish it from levobupivacaine, the single-enantiomer derivative. Cardiotoxicity at toxic doses is a well-documented safety concern requiring mention in adverse-effects sections.
Usage
Usage note: A common misspelling is 'bupivicaine'; always verify the correct 'a' in the penultimate syllable. When distinguishing from levobupivacaine, the racemic form may be described as 'racemic bupivacaine' for clarity.
In Context
- "The oral surgery discharge instructions warned patients that bupivacaine would maintain numbness for up to eight hours and to be cautious with eating until full sensation returned." — Post-operative patient instruction form
- "The editor corrected the recurring misspelling 'bupivicaine' to the correct 'bupivacaine' in seven instances throughout the manuscript." — Copyediting a pharmacology journal article