A study of different doses of atracurium to prevent suxamethonium-induced fasciculations.
Pretreatment with 3 different doses of atracurium (0.035 mg/kg, 0.05 mg/kg, 0.07 mg/kg) was investigated in order to determine the optimal dose that would prevent suxamethonium-induced fasciculations with minimal side effects to the patient and without significant antagonism of suxamethonium block. A total of 80 patients was studied. There were 20 patients in each of three atracurium groups while a fourth group of 20 patients served as control. Atracurium reduced the incidence of fasciculations from 100% observed in the control to between 0 and 40% in the atracurium groups. The optimal dose of atracurium appears to be 0.05 mg/kg, using a pretreatment interval of 3 minutes. Routine pretreatment of all patients is not mandatory, but it is recommended whenever the side-effects of suxamethonium are particularly undesirable, as in ocular laceration, raised intracranial pressure, full stomach and in very muscular patients.
Famewo
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CE
Department of Anaesthesiology, King Faisal University, DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia.
D000328:Adult; D001279:Atracurium / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005207:Fasciculation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011292:Premedication / Q000592:standards*; D013390:Succinylcholine / Q000009:adverse effects*
D001279:Atracurium; D013390:Succinylcholine