Premium
Benzodiazepines and neuromuscular blocking drugs in patients
Author(s) -
Driessen J. J.,
Crul J. F.,
Vree T. B.,
Egmond J. van,
Booij L. H. D. J.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1986.tb02492.x
Subject(s) - medicine , midazolam , diazepam , anesthesia , benzodiazepine , adductor pollicis muscle , lorazepam , muscle relaxant , vecuronium bromide , atracurium besilate , neuromuscular blocking agents , neuromuscular transmission , neuromuscular monitoring , neuromuscular blockade , ulnar nerve , surgery , sedation , receptor , elbow
The interaction between four benzodiazepines (diazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam and midazolam) and two nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking drugs (vecuronium and atracurium) was investigated in 113 patients during general anaesthesia. Neuromuscular function was monitored by recording the mechanical twitch tension of the adductor pollicis muscle of the thumb in response to ulnar nerve stimulation with single supramaximal stimuli of 0.2 ms at 0.1 Hz. In the first group of patients a benzodiazepine (diazepam 20 mg, lorazepam 5 mg, lormetazepam 2 mg or midazolam 15 mg), was injected i.v. 15 min before a single bolus of vecuronium 45 μg kg ‐1 . In the second group of patients suxamethonium 1 mg kg ‐1 was given for endotracheal intubation, and 30 min later the patients received atracurium 200 μg kg ‐1 . Fifteen min before injection of atracurium one of the same benzodiazepines as in the first group was injected i.v. Comparisons were made with control patients receiving thiopentone. Neither benzodiazepine caused significant potentiation of neuromuscular blocking agents in comparison with control. With midazolam, however, the duration to 25% and to 75% recovery of the twitch height after vecuronium was significantly longer than with diazepam. The time to 25% recovery of the twitch height after atracurium was significantly longer in patients receiving midazolam than in those receiving diazepam. The recovery index was not influenced by the four benzodiazepines.