Abstract

Objective: Methemoglobinemia is a clinical entity characterized by substitution of ferrous iron (Fe+2) in the hemoglobin structure by ferric iron (Fe+3) that lacks oxygen carrying capacity. Acquired methemoglobinemia may occur due to oxidant substances and drugs, of which local anesthetics constitute an important group. In this study the incidence of prilocaine-induced methemoglobinemia was studied.

Material and Methods: This study was performed on children who presented to the urology department for circumcision in 2013. Methemoglobin levels were measured prior to and after prilocaine injection.

Results: The study enrolled 74 children aged 6 months to 12 years. Five patients with a known hematological disorder or those with chronic disorders were excluded. Of the cases, 20.2 % were found to have methemoglobinemia but none had symptoms. Mean preoperative and postoperative incidences of methemoglobin were 0.71% and 1.80%, respectively. Methemoglobin level was reduced as age of the patient increased.

Conclusion: The risk of methemoglobinemia should be considered with local anesthetic agents widely used in clinical practice, particularly in small age groups.

Keywords: Prilocaine, methemoglobinemia, , circumcised children, Prilokain, methemoglobinemi

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Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

1.
Topal Y, Delıktaş H, Topal Y, Çetınkaya M, Kocabaş CN. Investigation of Methemoglobinemia İncidence Among Children Undergoing Circumcision Using Prilocaine. Turk J Pediatr Dis [Internet]. 2020 Jan. 27 [cited 2025 Aug. 23];14(1):2-6. Available from: https://turkjpediatrdis.org/article/view/716