Lipid Infusion Accelerates Removal of Bupivacaine and Recovery From Bupivacaine Toxicity in the Isolated Rat Heart

Lipid emulsion speeds loss of bupivacaine from cardiac tissue while accelerating recovery from bupivacaine-induced asystole. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that bupivacaine partitions into the emulsion and supports the concept of a “lipid sink.” However, the data do not exclude other possible mechanisms of action.