Ropivacaine is long-acting amide local anesthetic agent. It is less lipophilic in nature and hence penetrates less in large myelinated motor fibers, offering relatively reduced motor blockade. Ropivacaine has a greater degree of motor sensory differentiation, which is useful when a motor blockade is not required. This article details various clinical applications of ropivacaine and its current place in the local anesthetic group.
One of the important properties of long-acting local anesthetic is to reversibly inhibit the nerve impulses, which causes prolonged sensory or motor blockade necessary for different types of surgeries. However, the acute pain relief is sometimes marred by a motor blockade, which serves no purpose and is quite undesirable. Bupivacaine is a well-established long-acting regional anesthetic, which has been associated with cardiotoxicity when used in high…
