Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of cisatracurium and vecuronium by infusion in neonates and small infants after congenital heart surgery.
Neonates and infants often require extended periods of mechanical ventilation facilitated by sedation and neuromuscular blockade. ⋯ Our results parallel data from adults demonstrating a markedly shorter recovery of neuromuscular transmission after cisatracurium compared with vecuronium. Decreased clearance of vecuronium and the accumulation of 3-OH vecuronium may contribute to prolonged spontaneous recovery times. Cisatracurium is associated with faster spontaneous recovery of neuromuscular function compared with vecuronium but not with any differences in intermediate outcome measures in neonates and infants.