• P Hänzi, D Leibundgut, R Wessendorf, R Lauber, and A M Zbinden.
• University Hospital of Bern, Department of Anaesthesiology, Murtenstrasse, Bern, Switzerland.
• Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2007 Oct 1;24(10):882-8.

Background And ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine which of two clinically applied methods, electromyography or acceleromyography, was less affected by external disturbances, had a higher sensitivity and which would provide the better input signal for closed loop control of muscle relaxation.MethodsIn 14 adult patients, anaesthesia was induced with intravenous opioids and propofol. The response of the thumb to ulnar nerve stimulation was recorded on the same arm. Mivacurium was used for neuromuscular blockade. Under stable conditions of relaxation, the infusion-rate was decreased and the effects of turning the hand were investigated.ResultsElectromyography and acceleromyography both reflected the change of the infusion rate (P = 0.015 and P < 0.001, respectively). Electromyography was significantly less affected by the hand-turn (P = 0.008) than acceleromyography. While zero counts were detected with acceleromyography, electromyography could still detect at least one count in 51.1%.ConclusionsElectromyography is more reliable for use in daily practice as it is less influenced by external disturbances than acceleromyography.

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