Plasma potassium changes in hypertensive patients undergoing oral surgery with local anesthetics containing epinephrine

Abstract

Blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma potassium concentration were measured before and 10 min following the injection of 4.4 ml of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine in 14 patients receiving treatment for hypertension. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 was receiving treatment with non-potassium-sparing diuretics and group 2 was being treated with nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonists. No significant changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressures were detected between groups at 10 min. The change in heart rates from the preinjection value differed between groups at 10 min (P < 0.02). Ten minutes following the injection of the local anesthetic, plasma potassium concentration was significantly reduced in group 1 patients compared to both baseline and the change in group 2 patients (P < 0.05).