The introduction of new anaesthetic drugs demands that their action should be compared with that of already established agents. Pancuronium bromide was introduced into clinical anaesthetic practice by Baird and Reid (I967), and has since achieved widespread acceptance because it is reputed to have fewer cardiovascular side-effects than other non-depolarizing relaxants (Baird, I968; Sellick, 197...

Intravenous lignocaine (1.5 mg kg-1) was evaluated in patients undergoing intraocular surgery as a means of preventing the rise in intraocular pressure which accompanies tracheal intubation. In patients given either suxamethonium or pancuronium to facilitate tracheal intubation, lignocaine pretreatment conferred no benefit over placebo in preventing the intraocular hypertensive response.

To investigate cardiovascular effects in 32 ventilated neonates, given either pancuronium or pethidine, computer based data were analysed for five minutes preceding and for 20 minutes after administration of the drugs. Heart rate and direct mean arterial pressure remained unchanged but arterial pressure variability decreased with each drug.

Competitive antagonists to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are clinically used as muscle relaxants. Previously, we reported the kinetics of inhibition (in the absence of acetylcholine) by (+)-tubocurarine and pancuronium on embryonic receptors. Here, we examine cisatracurium, a commonly used muscle relaxant. Outside-out patches were equilibrated with cisatracurium before application of 300 mi...