RESUMEN
The effects of two different dental local anaesthetic solutions, administered for oral surgery, on the plasma potassium levels of patients taking non-potassium sparing diuretics has been investigated. There was a significant reduction in plasma potassium concentration in eight subjects who received 4.4 ml of 2% lignocaine with 1:80,000 adrenaline; the mean reduction from baseline being 0.30 mmol.l-1 10 min following intraoral extravascular injection of the local anaesthetic. There was no significant difference from the pre-treatment plasma potassium concentration 10 min following similar injections of 3% prilocaine with 0.03 IU.ml-1 felypressin in 8 patients; the mean change in these subjects being -0.05 mmol.l-1. It is suggested that the use of adrenaline-free local anaesthetics would seem to be appropriate in patients receiving kaliuretic diuretics.