In situations where trained personnel are readily available, ventilation should be maintained and oxygen should be delivered by a delivery system capable of permitting immediate positive airway pressure by mask. Immediately after the institution of these ventilatory measures, the adequacy of the circulation should be evaluated, keeping in mind that drugs used to treat convulsions sometimes depress the circulation when administered intravenously. The clinician should be familiar, prior to use of local anesthetics, with these anticonvulsant drugs. If not treated immediately, both convulsions and cardiovascular depression can result in hypoxia, acidosis, bradycardia, and arrhythmias. If cardiac arrest should occur, standard cardiopulmonary resuscitatin measures should be instituted.
Dialysis is of negligible value in the treatment of acute overdosage with lidocaine.