Lidocaine administered at a continuous rate infusion does not impair left ventricular systolic and diastolic function of healthy rabbits sedated with midazolam.

•To the authors knowledge, this the first study that evaluated the effects of lidocaine on echocardiographic parameters of systolic and diastolic function in rabbits.•The effects of a CRI of lidocaine on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function of lagomorphs is scarcely studied in laboratory animal clinical care.•The results of this study demonstrated that lidocaine at 50 µg/kg/minute did not induce clinically significant changes on left ventricular function in healthy rabbits.•These findings render lidocaine an interesting and safe option for use in these species, given that the infusion rate of 50 µg/kg/minute is widely used in most domestic species.