High-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection of vecuronium and its metabolites in human plasma

A high-performance liquid chromatographic assay coupled with electrochemical detection has been developed for the determination of vecuronium and its three putative deacetylated metabolites in human plasma. A novel solid-phase extraction procedure allowed good recovery of both vecuronium and its metabolites, together with ease and speed of execution. This method was sensitive, reproducible and accurate over the therapeutic range of concentrations of vecuronium and its metabolites, and was applied successfully to a study of the pharmacokinetics of vecuronium in anaesthetized patients.