Toxicological assessment of lidocaine in the pregnant rat.

Teratogenic and toxicological effects of lidocaine administered during pregnancy were evaluated in the Sprague Dawley rat. High doses of lidocaine administered during specific periods of gestation were shown to produce no apparent adverse toxicological or teratogenic effects. Histological, enzymological, and physical features of the fetuses, utilizing conventional toxicological parameters, were all found to be normal following maternal administration of lidocaine. Analysis of these data suggests that the administration of lidocaine during pregnancy had no detectable adverse effects on the fetus.