Neuromuscular blockade for improvement of surgical conditions during laparotomy: protocol for a randomised study.

Introduction: During laparotomy, surgeons frequently experience difficult surgical conditions if the patient's abdominal wall or diaphragm is tense. This issue is particularly pertinent while closing the fascia and placing the intestines into the abdominal cavity. Establishment of a deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB), defined as a post-tetanic-count (PTC) of 0-1, paralyses the abdominal wall muscles and the diaphragm.