Etidocaine toxicity in the adult, newborn, and fetal sheep.

The systemic toxicity of etidocaine was compared in adult, newborn, and fetal sheep during continuous infusion of the drug into the jugular vein at the rate of 0.5 mg X kg-1 X min-1. All recipients exhibited symptoms of toxicity in the following order: convulsions, hypotension, respiratory arrest, and circulatory collapse. The dose of etidocaine required to produce CNS and cardiovascular toxicity was significantly different among the three age groups, being the highest in the fetus and the lowest in the adult. In contrast, no significant difference in etidocaine blood concentrations at the onset of each toxic symptom was observed among the groups except that convulsions and hypotension occurred at lower blood levels in the fetus as compared with the newborn and adult. Comparisons of etidocaine blood concentrations associated with the onset of convulsions and circulatory collapse (CC/CNS ratio) with those of lidocaine reported previously indicate that a narrower margin exists in adults and newborn following administration of etidocaine.