The effects of fentanyl (0.5 mg/kg iv), fentanyl with diazepam (1 mg/kg iv) and fentanyl, diazepam and pancuronium (0.1 mg/kg iv) on heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (BP), cardiac output (QT), urine flow rate and urine epinephrine and norepinephrine excretion were determined in nine dogs. Fentanyl did not significantly change QT or BP but did reduce HR and urine flow rate (P less t...

A 24-h anaesthetic using a constant flow infusion of Althesin, fentanyl and pancuronium was given to 10 artificially ventilated dogs. No statistically significant haemodynamic changes occurred during the study, suggesting that the technique may be of value in long-term physiological studies.

THE INTERACTION Of antibiotics and neuromuscular blocking agents has been well documented. Neomycin, a.-~ streptomycin, 3 kanamycin, 3 gentamicin, 4'~ bacitraein, G polymyxin B ~ and colymicin ~ have been shown to potentiate the neuromuscular blockade of d-tubocurarine. The combined action of the muscle relaxant and the antibiotic is often resistant to reversal by both calcium '2,~3,~4 and neos...

We studied 20 adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. All received pancuronium as the sole neuromuscular blocking drug and no reversal agent was used. In the postoperative intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation was continued and patients were sedated with an infusion of propofol. Neuromuscular block was measured electromyographically at appropriate intervals until the train-of-four rati...

Changes in myocardial performance after administration of gallamine 1.5 mg kg-1 and pancuronium 0.1 mg kg-1 were investigated in hypercapnic (PaCO2 = 7.08 kPa) and hypocapnic (PaCO2 = 2.74 kPa) dogs anaesthetized with thiopentone, nitrous oxide and halothane. Administration of pancuronium during hypocapnia caused a decrease of 25% in dP/dt max (corrected for changes in preload, afterload and he...