The author presents an account on the properties and initial own experience with a new long acting amide local anaesthetic levobupivacaine. Levobupivacaine supplied under the name Chirocaine is a laevorotatory enanciomere of racemic bupivacaineknown in this country under thenameMarcaine.Contrary to racemic bupivacaine levobupivacaine has a lower cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity while it has the same anaesthetic and analgetic effect. The author tested the anaesthetic in 100 patients using the same dosage as in hitherto commonly used bupivacaine. Based on data in the literature and their own experience the authors consider levobupivacaine very suitable also for ophthalmosurgery, in particular in risk patients and in long operations where a larger amount of anaesthetic is necessary.

        Key words: amide anaesthetics - bupivacaine racemate - levobupivacaine - cardiotoxicity