I nearly died while getting a toothache treated.

Ms. Pham Thi Hai Y, 50 years old, from Phu Tho province, suffered from severe tooth decay, and her dentist prescribed root canal treatment. To relieve pain, the doctor injected one unit of Lidocaine anesthetic. However, just a few minutes after the injection, Ms. Y experienced discomfort, headache, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, and her blood pressure rose to 190/100 mm/Hg (her baseline blood pressure was 110/70 mm/Hg).

Recognizing that the patient had lidocaine anesthetic poisoning and was in an extremely critical condition, Dr. Nguyen Van Hai, Head of the Outpatient Department at Hung Vuong General Hospital, Phu Tho, issued a red alert throughout the hospital. Many doctors and nurses in the intensive care unit were mobilized simultaneously, and orders were given to administer a bolus injection of 200ml of Lipofundin and a continuous infusion of 20% Lipofundin emulsion to rapidly detoxify the patient.

Lidocaine is an anesthetic drug.

Fortunately, the patient subsequently recovered from the critical condition, blood pressure gradually decreased to 160/90 mm/Hg, the Lipofundin emulsion dose was maintained, and after infusion of 3 vials of Lipofundin 20%, the patient fully recovered, no longer experiencing nausea, headache, or shortness of breath. After a few hours, the patient's daily activities returned to normal.

Dr. Hai stated that Lidocaine anesthetic is widely used in hospitals, dental and maxillofacial departments, obstetrics and gynecology clinics, as well as private clinics.

Lidocaine poisoning is a rare but extremely dangerous complication; if not treated promptly, the mortality rate is very high.

When anesthetics are administered, they are absorbed into the bloodstream. The toxicity of the anesthetic will affect the body's organs to varying degrees, depending on the concentration of the anesthetic in the blood, as well as the individual's constitution.

Most cases of local anesthesia are safe if the physician adheres to anesthesia principles such as dosage, anesthesia technique, and takes into account the patient's individual characteristics.

The risk of local anesthetic toxicity is higher when using local anesthetics in areas with high blood supply, such as the head, face, neck, oral cavity, mucous membranes, and genitals. Individuals who are thin, malnourished, have liver, kidney, or heart disease, children, and the elderly are more susceptible to local anesthetic toxicity.

Therefore, Dr. Hai advises that when people undergo procedures requiring the use of Lidocaine anesthetic, they should go to hospitals with modern medical equipment and a team of responsive and professional medical staff to ensure prompt treatment.