Safety of perioperative intravenous lidocaine in liver surgery – A pilot study

Perioperative lidocaine infusion has many interesting properties such as analgesic effects in the context of enhanced recovery after surgery. However, its use is limited in liver surgery due to its hepatic metabolism. This prospective, monocentric study was conducted from 2020 to 2021. Patients undergoing liver surgery were included. They received a lidocaine infusion protocol until the beginning of hepatic transection (bolus dose of 1.5 mg kg−1, then a continuous infusion of 2 mg kg−1 h-1). Plasma concentrations of lidocaine were measured four times during and after lidocaine infusion. Twenty subjects who underwent liver resection were analyzed. There was 35% of preexisting liver disease before tumor diagnosis, and 75% of liver resection was defined as “major hepatectomy.” Plasmatic levels of lidocaine were in the therapeutic range. No blood sample showed a concentration above the toxicity threshold: 1.6 (1.3–2.1) mg ml−1 one hour after the start of infusion, 2.5 (1.7–2.8) mg ml−1 at the end of hepatic transection, 1.7 (1.3–2.0) mg ml−1 one hour after the end of infusion, and 1.2 (0.8–1.4) mg ml−1 at the end of surgery. Comparative analysis between the presence of a preexisting liver disease or not and the association of intraoperative vascular clamping or not did not show significant difference concerning lidocaine blood levels. Perioperative lidocaine infusion seems safe in the field of liver surgery. Nevertheless, additional prospective studies need to assess the clinical usefulness in terms of analgesia and antitumoral effects.