title: Pharmacodynamics of mivacurium chloride in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.
abstract: Ten healthy patients and 25 patients with cirrhosis of the liver (10 Child's A, 10 Child's B and 5 Child's C) received a bolus dose of mivacurium chloride 150 micrograms kg-1. The electromyographic response was monitored throughout anaesthesia until recovery of the first twitch of the train-of-four (TOF) (T1/T0) to at least 85% and the TOF ratio (T4:T1) to at least 80%. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the onset of neuromuscular block, but recovery was prolonged in the cirrhotic group compared with the healthy patients (respective mean times to recovery of T1/T0: to 5% = 20.2 vs 11.2 min (P < 0.05); to 10% = 23.8 vs 13.4 min (P < 0.005); to 25% = 28.4 vs 16.6 min (P < 0.005); to 50% = 41.1 vs 20.1 min (P < 0.005); to 75% = 43.8 vs 24.9 min (P < 0.005). Recovery of T4:T1 to 70% = 48.1 vs 27.4 min (P < 0.005)). Recovery was most prolonged in the Child's C patients. Mean plasma cholinesterase activity was less in the cirrhotic compared with the healthy group (mean 582 (SD 254) iu litre-1 vs 1125 (303) iu litre-1) (P < 0.001) and there was a significant negative correlation between plasma cholinesterase activity and all the indices of recovery (P < 0.001 for all except recovery index (P < 0.01)). We conclude that patients with hepatic cirrhosis may be sensitive to mivacurium, which could be explained, at least in part, by the lesser plasma cholinesterase activity.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Head-Rapson
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077590:Mivacurium; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000187:drug effects*; D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012709:Serum Albumin
chemical_list: D007546:Isoquinolines; D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents; D012709:Serum Albumin; D000077590:Mivacurium; D002802:Cholinesterases