BACKGROUND: The ease and rapidity of endotracheal incubation depends highly on the degree of muscle relaxation. The tracheal intubating conditions following equipotent doses of rocuronium, succinylcholine and vecuronium under general anesthesia with halothane, oxygen and nitrous oxide were studied and evaluated in ninety patients undergoing surgery. METHODOLOGY: Ninety patients, ASA 1-2, were randomly allocated to three groups. Group A was designated to receive 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium intravenously (n=30), group B was designated to receive 1.0 mg/kg succinylcholine intravenously (n=30) and group C was designated to receive 0.1 mg/kg vecuronium intravenously (n=30). All patients were premedicated with nalbuphine and promethazine and received 5 mg/kg thiopental for induction of anesthesia. Sixty seconds after receiving a muscle relaxant, intubation of the trachea was attempted and intubating conditions were graded by the blinded observer. Constant neuromuscular function monitoring was made using a peripheral nerve stimulator. RESULTS: Intubating conditions, sixty seconds after administration of rocuronium were clinically acceptable and comparable with those observed after succinylcholine. Rocuronium produced good to excellent intubating conditions even in the presence of incomplete block of the adductor pollicis muscle. The lag and onset time of action are significantly faster than those of vecuronium. The duration of clinical relaxation with rocuronium is however similar to that of vecuronium. CONCLUSION: Rocuronium is a new intermediate acting non depolarizing muscle relaxant with a brief lag and onset time of action that offers good to excellent interesting conditions at 60 seconds comparable with that of succinylcholine. (Author)
Human ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; INTUBATION ; INTUBATION, INTRATRACHEAL ; HEART RATE ; BLOOD PRESSURE ; SUCCINYLCHOLINE ; VECURONIUM BROMIDE ; MUSCLE RELAXANTS, CENTRAL ; ROCURONIUM