buffered local anesthesia

Buffered local anesthesia refers to a compounded formulation in which a standard local anesthetic solution—most commonly lidocaine (often with epinephrine), bupivacaine, or articaine—is mixed with sodium bicarbonate immediately prior to administration. The addition of sodium bicarbonate raises the pH of the acidic anesthetic solution closer to physiological levels. This buffering process reduces pain on injection, speeds onset of anesthesia, and may prolong the duration of action compared to unbuffered solutions. Buffered formulations are not commercially available as pre-mixed products due to stability concerns; they are typically prepared at the point of care by clinicians for procedures requiring rapid and comfortable onset of numbness[1][2][3][4][6]. The mechanism involves both reduction in tissue irritation from acidity and increased proportion of non-ionized (active) drug available for nerve penetration.

Other names

buffered local anestheticbuffered lidocainesodium bicarbonate-buffered local anesthetic