European journal of anaesthesiology. Supplement
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Eur J Anaesthesiol Suppl · Jan 1994
Safety aspects of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents with special reference to rocuronium bromide.
The safety of neuromuscular relaxants can be assessed according to their cardiovascular and autonomic effects, their liability to release histamine, their tendency to cause anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions, their effect on cholinesterase, on intra-ocular and intracranial pressure, their tendency to cumulation and their reversibility. Any adverse effects of metabolites are also potential problems. Against these standards, rocuronium may have some mild vagolytic activity. Apart from that, its safety profile is indistinguishable from that of vecuronium.
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Eur J Anaesthesiol Suppl · Jan 1994
The contribution of muscle relaxants to the advancement of anaesthetic practice: what is required of new compounds?
The introduction of each new muscle relaxant has advanced anaesthetic practice by trying to meet some perceived deficiency in the existing therapeutic armamentarium. Anaesthesiologists need agents which are appropriate to the duration of surgery: they prefer agents which are not subject to drug interaction, have no effect on cardiovascular function, which do not depend significantly on renal excretion, which are easy to reverse, and which have a rapid onset of action. In certain circumstances one of these requirements becomes overridingly important. The latest new addition, rocuronium, fills the gap for an agent with rapid onset while lacking the potentially adverse features of suxamethonium, retaining a medium duration of action and meeting the other requirements set out above as well as any existing agent.
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Many factors influence the minimum time required to achieve an easy and successful tracheal intubation after a non-depolarizing relaxant. The ideal study design has never been achieved in practice: an overall picture of the efficacy of rocuronium depends on careful interpretation of studies with different methodologies, which have usually compared the new drug with vecuronium or suxamethonium, currently the best alternatives. ⋯ Although some studies have produced evidence that rocuronium can produce smooth easy intubation conditions in 60 s, 90 s would appear to be closer to the time when excellent conditions can be guaranteed. Whether this is an acceptable alternative to the 45 s or so needed after suxamethonium is a matter of clinical judgement which only testing in practice will answer.
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Eur J Anaesthesiol Suppl · Jan 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialComparison of haemodynamic effects of rocuronium bromide with those of vecuronium in patients undergoing CABG surgery.
In a double-blind study, cardiovascular parameters (cardiac output, heart rate, systolic and diastolic arterial pressure, pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances) were measured invasively in two groups of patients receiving 3 x ED90 of rocuronium or vecuronium. Measurements were made at 2, 5 and 7 min after administration and 10 and 15 min after subsequent intubation. Systemic vascular resistance mostly increased, sometimes quite markedly, although, because of the variability, rarely statistically significantly. However, heart rate, arterial pressure and cardiac output were not altered to a clinically relevant degree.
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Eur J Anaesthesiol Suppl · Jan 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA comparison of rocuronium and vecuronium: the pharmacodynamic, cardiovascular and intra-ocular effects.
The aim of this study was to compare, in 30 patients, the pharmacodynamics of equipotent intubating doses of rocuronium and vecuronium and to compare their effects on heart rate, arterial pressure and intra-ocular pressure under steady state propofol anaesthesia. Baseline readings of heart rate and arterial pressure, using a Dinamap, and intra-ocular pressure, using a Tonopen, were made after induction of anaesthesia. The effects of the administration of the relaxants on these parameters were measured, recorded and compared. ⋯ Rocuronium caused a rise in mean arterial pressure (10-15%) and a slight rise in heart rate (5-10%). Both vecuronium and rocuronium caused similar falls in intra-ocular pressure. With its rapid onset time and lack of intra-ocular pressure effects, rocuronium is perhaps the relaxant of choice in patients with penetrating eye injuries requiring emergency endotracheal anaesthesia where a longer-acting relaxant is not contraindicated.