PurposeTumescent lidocaine anesthesia (TLA) is an opportunity to perform mastectomy for breast cancer without general anesthesia in elderly women. Few reports are available on the pharmacokinetics of lidocaine in a context of TLA during a unilateral mastectomy. The aim of this study was to describe lidocaine pharmacokinetics in elderly women undergoing breast cancer surgery after TLA and to explore the risk of the toxicity of this technique.MethodsA prospective study was conducted to examine the pharmacokinetics of lidocaine in women undergoing TLA. TLA consists of an intradermal lidocaine instillation (20mL, 1% [200mg]) followed by a tumescent lidocaine infiltration (100mL of 1% lidocaine [1000mg] and 0.5mg epinephrine to 1L Ringer's lactate) via an infusion pump. A population pharmacokinetic (popPK) analysis was performed using the nonlinear mixed effects model (NONMEM).ResultsThe analysis included 116 observations from 17 women with a median (range) age of 83.4 (60.5-90.0). The median tumescent lidocaine dose was 800mg (range 375-1000mg) infused over 48.011.0min. A one-compartment disposition model with first order absorption, two input compartments, and a central elimination best described the pharmacokinetics of lidocaine. The estimates (between subject variability; relative standard error, %) of apparent volume, apparent clearance, tumescent absorption rate, and instillation absorption rate were 195.0 (46.3; 14.5%) L, 24.7 (48.9; 13.3%) Lh(-1), 0.28 (39.6; 13.8%) h(-1), and 2.56 (135.3; 44.9%) h(-1), respectively.Conclusions p id=''Par4 This is the first popPK model developed to describe kinetic profiles of TLA. These findings confirm the slow diffusion of lidocaine from the tumescent deposit.