• C A Lien, M R Belmont, D L Wray Roth, M Okamoto, A Abalos, and J J Savarese.
• The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, USA. calien@mail.med.cornell.edu
• Anesthesiology. 1999 Jul 1;91(1):119-26.

BackgroundThe authors examined the plasma concentrations of the isomers of mivacurium and its pharmacodynamics during spontaeous and neostigmine-facilitated recovery after a mivacurium infusion.MethodsSixteen patients receiving nitrous oxide-opioid anesthesia received 0.25 mg/kg mivacurium. Patient response to neuromuscular stimulation was determined using a mechanomyograph Once T1 had recovered to 25% of its baseline height, a mivacurium infusion was begun and adjusted to maintain 95-99% neuromuscular block. The infusion was discontinued after 90 min and muscle strength allowed to recover either spontaneously or after neostigmine/glycopyrrolate (0.05/0.01 mg/kg). Plasma concentrations of the isomers of mivacurium after discontinuation of the infusion were determined using an HPLC assay. Differences between the groups were determined using a one-way analysis of variance with a Bonferroni-corrected t test or Student t test as appropriate. P < or = 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsDifferences in the times for recovery to a train-of-four ratio of 70% did not achieve statistical significance (mean+/-SD, 13.3+/-6.0 vs. 16.3+/-2.5 min for the neostigmine and spontaneous groups, respectively). Plasma cholinesterase activity decreased significantly from baseline values after administration of neostigmine (5.88+/-0.21 vs. 0.43+/-0.04 U/ml plasma). Plasma concentrations of the trans-trans isomer were significantly greater in the neostigmine group than in the spontaneous recovery group 5, 6, 8, and 10 min after discontinuation of the infusion. Differences in the plasma concentration of the cis-trans isomer did not achieve statistical significance.ConclusionsAlthough administration of neostigmine decreased plasma cholinesterase activity and caused the trans-trans isomer to remain in the plasma at higher concentration, it did not delay recovery from mivacurium-induced block.

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