Comparative Effects of Bupivacaine and Ropivacaine on Intracellular Calcium Transients and Tension in Ferret Ventricular Muscle

The cardiodepressant effect of bupivacaine is approximately twofold greater than that of ropivacaine. Bupivacaine suppresses Ca transients more markedly than does ropivacaine and reduces myofibrillar activation, which may at least in part underlie the greater inhibitory effect of bupivacaine on cardiac contractions. These results suggest that ropivacaine has a more favorable profile as a local anesthetic in the clinical settings.