The effect of hexafluorenium 0.3 mg/kg on the neuromuscular block of suxamethonium 0.1 mg/kg in a child with homozygote atypical plasma cholinesterase activity and in one of his normal brothers has been compared. In the normal child, hexafluorenium produced a marked potentiation of suxamethonium block, while partially antagonizing the block in the atypical homozygote child. In both situations, ...

Because the parturient should be always considered as a patient with a full stomach and a possible difficult airway, succinylcholine is considered the muscle relaxant of choice for rapid sequence induction of general anesthesia. During pregnancy, the level of plasma cholinesterase which hydrolyses succinylcholine is moderately decreased, and hence hydrolysis of succinylcholine remains within th...

We report a case of prolonged neuromuscular block after administration of mivacurium 0.2 mg kg-1 to a 16-yr-old patient where the duration of block was 2.5 h. The interesting points in this case were that the patient had homozygous atypical plasma cholinesterase deficiency (both parents had a normal phenotype) following liver transplantation. Investigations showed low plasma cholinesterase acti...