BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Studies show the importance of monitoring neuromuscular function in preventing the residual block. However, most anesthesiologists in their daily practice base their evaluation of the recovery of neuromuscular function on clinical data. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of neuromuscular blockade in children undergoing general anesthesia at the time of bloc...

The characteristics of train-of-four recovery after atracurium or vecuronium were studied, under enflurane anaesthesia, and compared with those associated with tubocurarine-induced blockade. Ten patients each received vecuronium 0.1 mg kg-1, atracurium 0.5 mg kg-1 or tubocurarine 0.5 mg kg-1. Neuromuscular blockade was calculated as the percent depression of the first twitch, and was determined...

In summary, it appears from this and other studies that trimetaphan has the potential for producing neuromuscular blockade when used in large doses or when combined with other muscle relaxants. The mode of action appears to be principally that of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockade. Sodium nitroprusside, on the other hand, even in doses beyond these accepted clinically, does not affect neur...

major proportion of intracellular calcium (ca 2+ ) is achieved through opening of calcium channels present in the plasma membrane which play an important role in regulating neuromuscular coordination and release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals. blockade of these calcium channels adversely affect contractile process and release of neurotransmitters in majority of the neuromuscular prep...

A case report is presented of a woman with known myotonia dystrophica, who required partial gastric resection and cholecystectomy. Neuromuscular blockade was obtained using a single dose of vecuronium, and neuromuscular function was determined by the "train-of-four count" technique. The intraoperative course was uneventful, and it was not necessary to use neostigmine to antagonize neuromuscular...

Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) have been widely used to control patients who need to be immobilized for some kind of medical intervention, such as an invasive procedure or synchronism with mechanical ventilation. The purpose of this monograph is to review the pharmacology of the NMBAs, to compare the main differences between the neuromuscular junction in neonates, infants, toddlers and a...

Neuromuscular-blocking agents (NMBA) have been used in clinical anesthesia for nearly 60 years. In the perioperative period, a variety of factors can influence a patient’s response to these drugs. To precisely titrate NMBAs to clinical effects in the anesthetized patient, the application of neuromuscular monitoring is essential. The use of a peripheral nerve stimulator allows the clinician to a...

PURPOSE To evaluate the onset of vecuronium neuromuscular blockade in the hand with an arterio-venous shunt for haemodialysis. METHODS In 15 adult patients receiving haemodialysis for renal failure the onset of vecuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade after 0.08 mg-kg-1 vecuronium i.v. was measured. Using train-of-four mechanomyographic monitoring, the force of contraction of the adductor po...

In this work, we have examined the neuromuscular activity of Micrurus laticollaris (Mexican coral snake) venom (MLV) in vertebrate isolated nerve-muscle preparations. In chick biventer cervicis preparations, the MLV induced an irreversible concentration- and time-dependent (1-30 µg/mL) neuromuscular blockade, with 50% blockade occurring between 8 and 30 min. Muscle contractures evoked by exogen...