A comparison of the response to suxamethonium in post-partum and gynaecological patients.
The response to suxamethonium was assessed in 20 women undergoing tubal ligation on the first or second post-partum day and in 20 women undergoing interval tubal ligation. The dose of suxamethonium which produced 80% depression of control twitch height was significantly lower in the puerperal patients. Similarly, recovery times following injection of a 20-mg bolus of the drug were significantly longer in the post-partum than the non-obstetric group. Cholinesterase activity, determined in six post-partum women, was inversely related to the time to maximal recovery. Thus, smaller doses of suxamethonium are required in the early puerperium.
D000328:Adult; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000187:drug effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013246:Sterilization, Tubal; D013390:Succinylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors
D002802:Cholinesterases; D013390:Succinylcholine