Lidocaine (Lignocaine) Dosing Regimen Based upon a Population Pharmacokinetic Model for Preterm and Term Neonates with Seizures

Background and Objective: The application of lidocaine (lignocaine) as an anticonvulsant in neonates originated more than 40 years ago in Scandinavia. Lidocaine has been shown to be an effective anticonvulsant for the treatment of neonatal seizures that persist in spite of first-line anticonvulsant therapy. However, lidocaine toxicity, mainly in the form of cardiac arrhythmias, can be life threatening. Therapeutic drug monitoring can be useful to prevent toxicity. In a previous study, a dosing regimen was developed for term neonates, but it was not evaluated for preterm neonates. Extrapolation of the previously developed dosing regimen to premature neonates without accounting for differences in pharmacokinetics because of immaturity of phase I metabolism and body fat/water ratio may result in serious toxicity or therapy failure. The objective of this study was to develop an optimized dosing regimen for lidocaine in preterm as well as term neonates, using population pharmacokinetic modelling and simulation.