Description:
Articaine HCL 4% with Epinephrine 1:200,000
Composition per mL:
Articaine hydrochloride ...................................................................... 40 mg
Epinephrine bitartrate (adrenaline bitartrate) .................................... 0.009 mg
corresponding in epinephrine base to ............................................... 0.005 mg
Sodium chloride ................................................................................ 1.60 mg
Sodium Metabisulfite (as antioxidant) ............................................... 0.50 mg
Water for injections q. s. ad ........................................................... 1.0 mL
Formulated without parahydroxybenzoates
Clinical Pharmacology:
POSICAINE (articaine hydrochloride) is a local anaesthetic that has the reversible effect of blocking the conduction of painful sensations. POSICAINE decreases nerve conduction by diminishing the sodium ion influx during the action potential period. The epinephrine is a vasoconstrictor added to POSICAINE to slow down the passage into the general circulation and thus ensure the prolonged maintenance of an active tissue concentration. The anaesthesia is obtained rapidly (1 to 3 minutes) and lasts from 45 to 75 minutes per cartridge.
Injected in the mouth by the submucosal route with a solution containing 1:200,000 epinephrine, articaine reaches the blood concentration peak about 17 minutes after the injection. The half-life elimination is very short : about 25 minutes. Articaine is excreted mainly through the urine with total elimination of 76 % and 89 % following intramuscular and intravenous administration, respectively.
Two unidentified metabolites of articaine are detected in the urine following intramuscular injection accounting for 87 % and 2 % of the administered dose. No metabolites are detected in the blood following intravenous administration.