Neurotoxicity secondary to local tetracaine use

Systemic reactions from local tetracaine use are often an anomaly – not only is tetracaine short-acting and quickly metabolized by the pseudocholinesterase system leading to very limited systemic uptake, but most adverse reactions are usually associated with dental or spinal anesthesia. Furthermore, reactions to local anesthetics manifest in standard allergy-typ e reactions. When local anesthetics lead to nervous or cardiac system abnormalities, it is termed a local anesthetic systemic toxicity – an event with an incidence currently estimated to be 0.03%.
Source: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research