sufentanil + lidocaine

sufentanil + lidocaine is a combination pharmacological protocol used for feticide during late-term termination of pregnancy (after 22 weeks' gestation). This protocol, utilized as a standard-of-care control in clinical research by the University Hospital, Montpellier, involves the sequential or combined administration of sufentanil and lidocaine. Sufentanil, a potent synthetic opioid, acts as a mu-opioid receptor agonist to provide fetal analgesia and sedation. Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, acts as a sodium channel blocker that inhibits the depolarization of cardiac myocytes (primarily via SCN5A), leading to rapid fetal cardiac asystole. The combination is typically administered via ultrasound-guided umbilical vein puncture or direct intracardiac injection to ensure fetal death prior to the induction of labor, addressing legal and ethical requirements for late-term terminations.

Other names

sufentanil and lidocainesufentanil + lidocaine protocol