Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by BUZELLO, W.
Right arrow Articles by NÖLDGE, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by BUZELLO, W.
Right arrow Articles by NÖLDGE, G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

British Journal of Anaesthesia, 1982, Vol. 54, No. 11 1151-1157
© 1982 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia

research-article

REPETITIVE ADMINISTRATION OF PANCURONIUM AND VECURONIUM (Org NC 45, NORCURON) IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING LONG LASTING OPERATIONS

W. BUZELLO, M D and G. NÖLDGE, M.D

Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Hugstetter Strasse 55, D-7800 Freiburg, Federal Republic of Germany

Fifty-one patients undergoing surgical procedures which required at least 2 h of anaesthesia were randomly divided into two groups receiving either pancuronium or vecuronium (Org NC 45) as a muscle relaxant under evoked twitch tension control. In the absence of halogenated inhalation anaesthetics, both drugs were administered by initial bolus injection of 0.1 mg kg–1, followed by increments of 0.025 mg kg–1 when twitch height had recovered to 25% of control. In all cases the initial dose produced total neuromuscular blockade and satisfactory intubation conditions within 2–4min. The time of onset was slightly shorter with vecuronium than with pancuronium. The mean duration from the end of injection to 25% recovery of the initial arid the maintenance doses was three and four tunes longer with pancuronium than with vecuronium, respectively. The average drug requirement per hour to maintain at least 75% block was one maintenance dose of pancuronium 0.025mg kg–1 and four maintenance doses of vecuronium 0.1 mg kg–1. The overall recovery time (25% to 75% twitch height) irrespective of the number of maintenance doses was 40±14min with pancuronium and 15±8min with vecuronium (mean±SD). Some cumulation was observed with pancuronium, particularly in terms of prolonged recovery time. With vecuronium, both duration of action of maintenance doses and recovery time did not depend on the number of maintenance doses. In both groups of patients no cardiovascular or other side-effects were observed. It is concluded that vecuronium is a true intermediate-acting non-depolanzing muscle relaxant. Its lack of cumulation favours the maintenance of profound neuromuscular blockade until close to the end of operation without the risk of an unduly long recovery time.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.