Knowledge of Emergency Medicine Physicians about Local Anesthetic Toxicity and Intravenous Lipid Treatment

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of emergency medicine doctors regarding local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) and intravenous lipid emulsion (LE) used in treatment, and to raise awareness of this issue. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire consisted of 17 questions about demographics, local anesthetic (LA) use, toxicity, and treatment methods was administered to emergency medicine doctors working at different hospitals. Results: 181 doctors were included in this survey. Most of the (137 participants, 75.7%) participants were working in state hospitals. Professional experiences of the participants varied. The majority of participants (103 participants, 56.9%) stated that they had not received any training about the use of LAs during their education. Lidocaine was the most preferred local anesthetic agent (75.5%). Majority of the participants stated that their knowledge about the LAs they used was insufficient. Forty-one (22.7%) participants answered that they know the indications and route of LE administration. Nine (5%) participants reported that they have encountered LA toxicity and have used LE. One hundred eighteen participants (65.2%) stated that they do not have LE in their emergency department. Conclusion: Knowledge about the LA toxicity and lipid emulsion usage in the treatment of LAST is insufficient among emergency doctors. More efforts must be made to improve this issue.