local_anesthetic_dosing: Local Anesthetic Dosing Calculator

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Local Anesthetic Dosing Calculator

Description

Calculates the maximum safe dose (in milligrams and milliliters) of common local anesthetics based on patient weight, specific drug properties, and the presence of epinephrine. It accounts for both weight-based limits and absolute maximum total dose limits.

Usage

local_anesthetic_dosing(weight_kg, anesthetic_type, concentration_percent,
                        with_epinephrine = 0)

Arguments

weight_kg	Numeric. Patient weight in kilograms.
anesthetic_type	String. The generic name of the anesthetic. Supported: "lidocaine", "bupivacaine", "mepivacaine", "ropivacaine", "procaine", "chloroprocaine", "tetracaine".
concentration_percent	Numeric. The concentration of the solution in percent (e.g., 1 for 1%, 0.5 for 0.5%).
with_epinephrine	Numeric (0 or 1). Is the anesthetic mixed with epinephrine? (1 = Yes, 0 = No). Presence of epinephrine typically increases the maximum safe dose for certain agents (e.g., Lidocaine, Mepivacaine) by vasoconstriction, delaying systemic absorption.

Value

A list containing:

Max_Dose_mg	The calculated maximum safe dose in milligrams.
Max_Volume_mL	The calculated maximum safe volume in milliliters.
Constraint	Indicates whether the dose was limited by the weight-based calculation or the absolute maximum ceiling.

References

Rosenberg PH, Veering BT, Urmey WF. Maximum recommended doses of local anesthetics: a multifactorial concept. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2004;29(6):564-575. doi:10.1016/j.rapm.2004.08.003

Examples

# Example 1: Lidocaine w/ Epi for 70kg adult (1% solution)
# Max dose 7 mg/kg -> 490 mg. Max Vol = 490 / 10 = 49 mL.
local_anesthetic_dosing(70, "lidocaine", 1, 1)

# Example 2: Bupivacaine Plain for 50kg patient (0.25% solution)
# Max dose 2.5 mg/kg -> 125 mg. Conc = 2.5 mg/mL. Max Vol = 125 / 2.5 = 50 mL.
local_anesthetic_dosing(50, "bupivacaine", 0.25, 0)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.