Systemic absorption of topical lidocaine in a bone marrow transplant recipient with hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome

Purpose. A case of systemic lidocaine exposure in a bone marrow transplant recipient with severe hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) receiving treatment with lidocaine patch 5% is reported. Summary. A 35-year-old Caucasian man with a history of refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia was admitted for a third allogeneic, mismatched, peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, with a conditioning regimen that included busulfan and fludarabine. The patient was receiving treatment with lidocaine patch 5% (two patches daily, which was started five months before another hospital admission for the treatment of vincristine-related peripheral neuropathy. Baseline laboratory findings were within normal limits except for disease-related neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Twenty days after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the patient developed signs and symptoms of severe hepatic SOS. His serum alanine transaminase concentration rose from 65 IU/L. at baseline to 370 IU/L, and his serum aspartate transaminase concentration rose from 32 IU/L at baseline to 871 IU/L. His total bilirubin increased to 2.8 mg/dL, and his body weight increased by 15%. An abdominal ultrasound noted ascites and hepatomegaly without reversal of blood flow. The lidocaine patch was discontinued, but the patient's condition continued to deteriorate. He died 38 days after HSCT from complications of severe hepatic SOS. Conclusion. A 35-year-old man developed hepatic SOS 20 days after his third HSCT. As a result of his hepatic impairment, the patient, who had been receiving lidocaine patch 5% for the treatment of neuropathic pain, experienced increased systemic exposure to lidocaine, which led to discontinuation of the patch.