title: Age-dependence of the dose-response curve of vecuronium in pediatric patients during balanced anesthesia.
abstract: The effect of age on the log-based cumulative dose-response curve of vecuronium was determined in ten age groups of 80 pediatric patients ranging from neonates to adolescents during thiopental-fentanyl-N2O/O2 anesthesia. Neuromuscular block was recorded as the evoked thenar electromyographic response to train-of-four stimulation of the ulnar nerve (2 Hz at 20-second intervals). The dose-response curves were parallel to each other in all ten age groups studied. In neonates and infants, the ED95 of vecuronium was 47 +/- 11 (SD) micrograms/kg. This was significantly lower than the ED95 of 81 +/- 12 micrograms/kg in children between 3 and 10 years of age (P less than 0.01). In patients aged 13 years or older, the ED95 was 55 +/- 12 micrograms/kg, which did not differ from the neonatal and infant values but was significantly lower than the ED95 of children between 3 and 10 years of age. The results indicate that the dose of vecuronium necessary for tracheal intubation is age-dependent. The individual ED95 values varied between 22 and 103 micrograms/kg. This suggests that an individually optimal dose of vecuronium can be administered to pediatric patients only if neuromuscular block is adequately monitored.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects*; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011229:Preanesthetic Medication; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects; D014673:Vecuronium Bromide / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014673:Vecuronium Bromide