Shortened time to neuromuscular recovery with lower doses of rocuronium in elderly patients.

Introduction: The effect of neuromuscular blocking agents may be reversed by administration of neostigmine, when two twitches are present using train-of-four (TOF) stimulation. However, in elderly patients, limited data are available about when to administer neostigmine. We hypothesised that time to two twitches after TOF (TOF-2) was shorter after rocuronium 0.

Onset time, duration of action, and intubating conditions after mivacurium in elderly and younger patients.

Background: The neuromuscular blocking agent mivacurium can be used during anesthesia to facilitate tracheal intubation. Data on onset time, duration of action, and effect on intubating conditions in patients 80 years and older are however limited. We hypothesized that onset time and duration of action of mivacurium would be longer in elderly patients than in younger adults.

Effects of avoidance versus use of neuromuscular blocking agents for facilitation of tracheal intubation in children and infants: a protocol for a systematic review, meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.

Background: The European Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care recommends the use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) in adults, to facilitate tracheal intubation and reduce its associated complications. Children who undergo tracheal intubation may suffer some of the same complications, however, no consensus exists regarding the use of NMBA for tracheal intubation in the pediatric population. We will explore the existing evidence assessing the effects of avoidance versus the use of NMBA for the facilitation of tracheal intubation in children and infants.

Prolonged duration of action of suxamethonium in pregnant and postpartum patients: A registry study.

Background: Suxamethonium is hydrolysed by butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and a low BChE activity can result in a prolonged duration of action of suxamethonium. The BChE activity is reduced during pregnancy and postpartum period by up to 33%. However, it can also be reduced by mutations in the BChE gene.

Good clinical research practice (GCRP) in pharmacodynamic studies of neuromuscular blocking agents III: The 2023 Geneva revision.

The set of guidelines for good clinical research practice in pharmacodynamic studies of neuromuscular blocking agents was developed following an international consensus conference in Copenhagen in 1996 (Viby-Mogensen et al., Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1996, 40, 59-74); the guidelines were later revised and updated following the second consensus conference in Stockholm in 2005 (Fuchs-Buder et al., Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2007, 51, 789-808).

Tracheal intubating conditions in elderly patients when train-of-four count is zero after rocuronium 0.6 or 0.9 mg/kg. A secondary analysis.

Purpose: The neuromuscular blocking agent rocuronium can be administered to facilitate tracheal intubation. We hypothesized that rocuronium 0.9 mg/kg provided a larger proportion of patients with vocal cords in abducted position compared to rocuronium 0.

Collaboration for Evidence-based Practice and Research in Anaesthesia (CEPRA): A consortium initiative for perioperative research.

Evidence in perioperative care is insufficient. There is an urgent need for large perioperative research programmes, including pragmatic randomised trials, testing daily clinical treatments and unanswered question, thereby providing solid evidence for effects of interventions given to a large and growing number of patients undergoing surgery and anaesthesia. This may be achieved through large collaborations.

Comparison of onset time, duration of action, and intubating conditions after cisatracurium 0.15 mg/kg in young and elderly patients.

Introduction: Tracheal intubation during anesthesia can be facilitated by the neuromuscular blocking agent cisatracurium. However, limited data exists about onset time, duration of action and effect on intubating conditions in elderly patients above 80 years of age. We hypothesized that elderly patients would present a longer onset time and duration of action compared to younger adults.

Rocuronium 0.3 or 0.9 mg/kg comparing onset time, duration of action, and intubating conditions in patients 80 years and older: A randomized study.

Background: Limited data exist about the optimal dose of rocuronium for intubation in elderly patients. We hypothesized that rocuronium 0.9 mg/kg would lead to a shorter onset time than 0.

A blinded randomized study comparing intubating conditions after either rocuronium 0.6 mg·kg or remifentanil 2 µg·kg in elderly patients.

Background: To facilitate tracheal intubation, either a neuromuscular blocking agent or a bolus dose of remifentanil can be administered. We hypothesized that rocuronium 0.6 mg·kg provided a larger proportion of excellent intubating conditions compared to remifentanil 2 µg·kg in patients above 80 years.

Onset time and duration of action of rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg in patients above 80 years of age: A comparison with young adults.

Background: The number of elderly is increasing, and a large proportion of these people will require surgery and anaesthesia. However, little data exist regarding rocuronium in patients above 80 years of age. The aim of this study was to determine the onset time and duration of action for rocuronium 0.

Incidence of residual neuromuscular blockade in children below 3 years after a single bolus of cisatracurium 0.1 mg/kg: A quality assurance study.

Background: The aim of this quality assurance study was to determine the proportion of patients with residual block (train-of-four (TOF) ratio <0.9) upon conclusion of surgery after a bolus of cisatracurium 0.1 mg/kg.