Septocaine - SEPTODONT, Inc.

Three randomized, double-blind, active-controlled studies were designed to evaluate effectiveness of Septocaine^® as a dental anesthetic. A total of 882 patients received Septocaine^®. Of these, 7% were between 4 and 16 years old, 87% were between 17 and 65 years old, and 6% were at least 65 years old. In addition, 53% of patients were female and 47% were male, with a racial/ethnic distribution of 73% white, 11% Hispanic, 8% black, 5% Asian, and 3%"other" races/ ethnicities. These patients underwent simple dental procedures such as single uncomplicated extractions, routine operative procedures, single apical resections, and single crown procedures, and complex dental procedures such as multiple extractions, multiple crowns and/or bridge procedures, multiple apical resections, alveolectomies, muco-gingival operations, and other surgical procedures on the bone. Septocaine™ was administered as submucosal infiltration and/or nerve block. Efficacy was measured immediately following the procedure by having the patient and investigator rate the patient's procedural pain using a 10 cm visual analog scale (VAS), in which a score of zero represented no pain, and a score of 10 represented the worst pain imaginable.

Mean patient and investigator VAS pain scores were 0.3 - 0.4 cm for simple procedures and 0.5 - 0.6 cm for complex procedures. These values are summarized in Table 1.

Resuscitative equipment, oxygen, and other resuscitative drugs should be available for immediate use (See WARNINGS). The lowest dosage that results in effective anesthesia should be used to avoid high plasma levels and serious adverse effects. Repeated doses of Septocaine^® may cause significant increases in blood levels with each repeated dose because of possible accumulation of the drug or its metabolites. Tolerance to elevated blood levels varies with the status of the patient. Debilitated patients, elderly patients, acutely ill patients and pediatric patients should be given reduced doses commensurate with their age and physical condition. Septocaine^® should also be used with caution in patients with heart block.

Local anesthetic solutions, such as Septocaine^®, containing a vasoconstrictor should be used cautiously. Patients with peripheral vascular disease and those with hypertensive vascular disease may exhibit exaggerated vasoconstrictor response. Ischemic injury or necrosis may result. Septocaine^® should be used with caution in patients during or following the administration of potent general anesthetic agents, since cardiac arrhythmias may occur under such conditions.

Systemic absorption of local anesthetics can produce effects on the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. At blood concentrations achieved with therapeutic doses, changes in cardiac conduction, excitability, refractoriness, contractility, and peripheral vascular resistance are minimal. However, toxic blood concentrations depress cardiac conduction and excitability, which may lead to atrioventricular block, ventricular arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest, sometimes resulting in fatalities. In addition, myocardial contractility is depressed and peripheral vasodilation occurs, leading to decreased cardiac output and arterial blood pressure.

Careful and constant monitoring of cardiovascular and respiratory (adequacy of ventilation) vital signs and the patient's state of consciousness should be accomplished after each local anesthetic injection. It should be kept in mind at such times that restlessness, anxiety, tinnitus, dizziness, blurred vision, tremors, depression, or drowsiness may be early warning signs of central nervous system toxicity.

In vitro studies show that about 5% to 10% of articaine is metabolized by the human liver microsomal P450 isoenzyme system. However, because no studies have been performed in patients with liver dysfunction, caution should be used in patients with severe hepatic disease. Septocaine^® should also be used with caution in patients with impaired cardiovascular function since they may be less able to compensate for functional changes associated with the prolongation of A-V conduction produced by these drugs.

Small doses of local anesthetics injected in dental blocks may produce adverse reactions similar to systemic toxicity seen with unintentional intravascular injections of larger doses. Confusion, convulsions, respiratory depression and/or respiratory arrest, and cardiovascular stimulation or depression have been reported. These reactions may be due to intra-arterial injection of the local anesthetic with retrograde flow to the cerebral circulation. Patients receiving these blocks should be observed constantly. Resuscitative equipment and personnel for treating adverse reactions should be immediately available.

Dosage recommendations should not be exceeded.

(See DOSAGE and ADMINISTRATION.)

The patient should be informed in advance of the possibility of temporary loss of sensation and muscle function following infiltration and nerve block injections.

The administration of local anesthetic solutions containing epinephrine to patients receiving monoamine oxidase inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants may produce severe, prolonged hypertension. Phenothiazines and butyrophenones may reduce or reverse the pressor effect of epinephrine. Concurrent use of these agents should generally be avoided. In situations when concurrent therapy is necessary, careful patient monitoring is essential.

Studies to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of Articaine HCl in animals have not been conducted. Five standard mutagenicity tests, including three in vitro tests (the nonmammalian Ames test, the mammalian Chinese hamster ovary chromosomal aberration test and a mammalian gene mutation test with articaine HCl) and two in vivo mouse micronucleous tests (one with Septocaine^® and one with articaine HCl alone) showed no mutagenic effects. No effects on male or female fertility were observed in rats for Septocaine^® administered subcutaneously in doses up to 80 mg/kg/day (approximately two times the maximum male and female recommended human dose on a mg/m² basis).

It is not known whether articaine is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Septocaine^® is administered to a nursing woman.

In clinical trials, 61 pediatric patients between the ages of 4 and 16 years received Septocaine^®. Among these pediatric patients, doses from 0.76 mg/kg to 5.65 mg/kg (0.9 to 5.1 mL) were administered safely to 51 patients for simple procedures and doses between 0.37 mg/kg and 7.48 mg/kg (0.7 to 3.9 mL) were administered safely to 10 patients for complex procedures. However, there was insufficient exposure to Septocaine^® at doses greater than 7.00 mg/kg in order to assess its safety in pediatric patients. No unusual adverse events were noted in these patients. Approximately 13% of these pediatric patients required additional injections of anesthetic for complete anesthesia. Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients below the age of 4 years have not been established. Dosages in pediatric patients should be reduced, commensurate with age, body weight, and physical condition. See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.

In clinical trials, 54 patients between the ages of 65 and 75 years, and 11 patients 75 years and over received Septocaine™. Among all patients between 65 and 75 years, doses from 0.43 mg/kg to 4.76 mg/kg (0.9 to 11.9 mL) were administered safely to 35 patients for simple procedures and doses from 1.05 mg/kg to 4.27 mg/kg (1.3 to 6.8 mL) were administered safely to 19 patients for complex procedures. Among the 11 patients ≥ 75 years old, doses from 0.78 mg/kg to 4.76 mg/kg (1.3 to 11.9 mL) were administered safely to 7 patients for simple procedures and doses of 1.12 mg/kg to 2.17 mg/kg (1.3 to 5.1 mL) were administered to 4 patients for complex procedures.

No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed between elderly subjects and younger subjects, and other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients, but greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot be ruled out. Approximately 6% of patients between the ages of 65 and 75 years and none of the 11 patients 75 years of age or older required additional injections of anesthetic for complete anesthesia compared with 11% of patients between 17 and 65 years old who required additional injections.

The first consideration is prevention, best accomplished by careful and constant monitoring of cardiovascular and respiratory vital signs and the patient's state of consciousness after each local anesthetic injection. At the first sign of change, oxygen should be administered.

The first step in the management of convulsions, as well as hypoventilation, consists of immediate attention to the maintenance of a patent airway and assisted or controlled ventilation as needed. The adequacy of the circulation should be assessed. Should convulsions persist despite adequate respiratory support, treatment with appropriate anticonvulsant therapy is indicated. The practitioner should be familiar, prior to the use of local anesthetics, with the use of anticonvulsant drugs. Supportive treatment of circulatory depression may require administration of intravenous fluids and, when appropriate, a vasopressor.

If not treated immediately, both convulsions and cardiovascular depression can result in hypoxia, acidosis, bradycardia, arrhythmias and cardiac arrest. If cardiac arrest should occur, standard cardiopulmonary resuscitative measures should be instituted.

For chemical disinfection of the carpule, either isopropyl alcohol (91%) or ethyl alcohol (70%) is recommended. Many commercially available brands of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, as well as solutions of ethyl alcohol not of U.S.P. grade, contain denaturants that are injurious to rubber and therefore are not to be used.

Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit.