• N Gorgias, P Maidatsi, A Zaralidou, V Ourailoglou, A Fakidou, and M Giala.
• Department of Anesthesiology, AHEPA General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
• Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 1998 Nov 1; 20 (9): 801-4.

AbstractThe present study was undertaken to evaluate the suitability of the DBS mode in the determination of the proper time to perform tracheal intubation following cisatracurium muscle relaxation. The DBS3.3 pattern was administered to the ulnar nerve at the wrist in 45 patients paralyzed with cisatracurium 0.15 mg.kg-1 and tracheal intubation was attempted immediately after the disappearance of both palpable contractions of the adductor pollicis. Intubation conditions were assessed with a standard four-graded scoring system and the onset time of the relaxant was determined. Forty-two patients (93%) exhibited acceptable intubation conditions as soon as both responses to DBS were absent and the estimated apparent onset time, according to the stimulation mode applied, was 114.68 +/- 13.2 sec. Our data suggest that disappearance of both palpable responses to DBS3.3 may be used as an accurate predictor of acceptable intubation conditions, following nondepolarizing relaxants such as cisatracurium.

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