Pharmacokinetic analysis of rapacuronium and its metabolite during liver transplantation: an assessment of its potential as a pharmacodynamic probe.

The liver extracts aminosteroidal neuromuscular blocking drugs. We hypothesized that the duration of action of these drugs might provide a pharmacodynamic probe for assessing graft function during orthotopic liver transplantation. The pharmacokinetics of rapacuronium and its active metabolite, ORG 9488, were prospectively studied in 11 patients.