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Fifty years of muscle relaxants
Author(s) -
BEVAN D. R.
Publication year - 1995
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.1399-6576.1995.tb04300.x
Subject(s) - curare , medicine , paralysis , muscle relaxation , anesthesia , intensive care , intensive care medicine , neuromuscular blocking agents , surgery
The introduction of curare improved surgical relaxation and encouraged anaesthetists to enlarge their vision. They became interested in the pharmacologic properties of their drugs and the physiologic changes associated with paralysis, and this led naturally to their involvement in intensive care and respiratory physiology. Since 1942, more than 50 muscle relaxants have been introduced: the current emphasis is on the short‐ to intermediate‐ duration agents that allow rapid recovery and avoid the problems associated with residual curarization, but we still await a nondepolarizing replacement for suxamethonium.