title: Cisatracurium besilate. A review of its pharmacology and clinical potential in anaesthetic practice.
abstract: Cisatracurium besilate (besylate) is a nondepolarising neuromuscular blocking agent with an intermediate duration of action. It is the R-cis, R'-cis isomer of atracurium besilate and is approximately 3-fold more potent than the mixture of isomers that constitute the parent drug. The ED95 for cisatracurium besilate (dose required to produce 95% suppression of twitch response to nerve stimulation) in adults is 0.05 mg/kg during N2O/O2 opioid anaesthesia. As for atracurium besilate, the primary route of elimination of cisatracurium besilate is by spontaneous degradation. Cisatracurium besilate is not associated with dose-related histamine release (at bolus doses of < or = 8 x ED95) and, consistent with this, has demonstrated cardiovascular stability in both healthy patients (< or = 8 x ED95) and those with coronary artery disease (< or = 6 x ED95). In clinical trials, cisatracurium besilate has been used successfully to facilitate intubation (at 2 to 4 x ED95) and as a muscle relaxant during surgery and in intensive care. Compared with vecuronium, cisatracurium besilate was associated with a significantly faster recovery after continuous infusion in patients in intensive care. Relative to atracurium besilate, cisatracurium besilate has a lower propensity to cause histamine release is more potent but has a slightly longer onset time at equipotent doses. It also offers a more predictable recovery profile than vecuronium after prolonged use in patients in intensive care. Thus, comparative data provide some indication of the potential of cisatracurium besilate as an intermediate-duration neuromuscular blocking agent but further comparisons with other like agents are required to define precisely its relative merits.
authors.affiliation: Adis International Limited, Auckland, New Zealand. demail@adis.co.nz
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Bryson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Faulds
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000758:Anesthesia; D001279:Atracurium / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008875:Middle Aged; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents; D001279:Atracurium; C101584:cisatracurium