OBJECTIVETo compare the dose requirements of continuous infusion of rocuronium and atracurium throughout orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in humans.

METHODSTwenty male patients undergoing liver transplantation were randomly assigned to two comparable groups of 10 patients each to receive a continuous infusion of rocuronium or atracurium under intravenous balanced anesthesia. The response of adductor pollicis to train-of-four (TOF) stimulation of unlar nerve was monitored. The infusion rates of rocuronium and atracurium were adjusted to maintain T1/Tc ratio of 2%~10%. The total dose of each drug given during each of the three phases of OLT was recorded.

RESULTSRocuronium requirement, which were (0.468+/-0.167) mg/(kg.h) during the paleohepatic phase, decreased significantly during the anhepatic phase to (0.303+/-0.134) mg/(kg.h) and returned to the initial values at the neohepatic period ((0.429+/-0.130) mg/(kg.h)); whereas atracuruim requirements remained unchanged during orthotopic liver transplantation.

CONCLUSIONSThis study showed that the exclusion of the liver from the circulation results in the significantly reduced requirement of rocuronium while the requirement of atracurium was not changed, which suggests that the liver is of major importance in the clearance of rocuronium. A continuous infusion of atracurium with constant rate can provide stable neuromuscular blockade during the three stages of OLT.