How much anesthetic is contained in one carpule?

How much anesthetic is contained in one carpule?

• A. 1.0 mL
• B. 1.5 mL
• C. 1.8 mL
• D. 2.0 mL

Answer: (C)

Carpules are designed to hold a standard, defined amount of anesthetic for each injection. The commonly accepted capacity of a dental carpule is 1.8 mL. This standard matters for dosing calculations, because the amount of drug delivered per cartridge is the concentration multiplied by this volume. For example, lidocaine at 2% (which is 20 mg per mL) in one carpule of 1.8 mL gives about 36 mg of lidocaine per cartridge. If epinephrine is included at 1:100,000, that’s about 0.01 mg per mL, so roughly 0.018 mg of epinephrine per carpule. In practice, you may not deliver the entire 1.8 mL due to the syringe mechanics, but the nominal capacity of a carpule is 1.8 mL.

Carpules are designed to hold a standard, defined amount of anesthetic for each injection. The commonly accepted capacity of a dental carpule is 1.8 mL. This standard matters for dosing calculations, because the amount of drug delivered per cartridge is the concentration multiplied by this volume. For example, lidocaine at 2% (which is 20 mg per mL) in one carpule of 1.8 mL gives about 36 mg of lidocaine per cartridge. If epinephrine is included at 1:100,000, that’s about 0.01 mg per mL, so roughly 0.018 mg of epinephrine per carpule. In practice, you may not deliver the entire 1.8 mL due to the syringe mechanics, but the nominal capacity of a carpule is 1.8 mL.