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Priming of pancuronium with magnesium
M F James1, P A Schenk, B W van der Veen
1Department of Anaesthesia, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Observatory, South Africa.
British Journal of Anaesthesia
|February 1, 1991
Summary
Magnesium pretreatment does not speed up pancuronium block onset. This study found no significant difference in neuromuscular blockade speed when using magnesium with pancuronium for tracheal intubation.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Magnesium inhibits acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction.
- This inhibition potentiates non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if magnesium pretreatment enhances the onset of neuromuscular block with pancuronium.
- To assess the effect of magnesium on the speed of tracheal intubation.
Main Methods:
- Pancuronium (100 mcg/kg) was administered to subjects pretreated with magnesium or a pancuronium priming dose.
- The time to 95% depression of thumb twitch was measured.
- Time to successful tracheal intubation was recorded.
Main Results:
- The onset of 95% neuromuscular block with pancuronium was similar in magnesium-pretreated subjects (68.3 s) and controls (73.7 s).
- Tracheal intubation was achieved slightly faster in the magnesium group (97.8 s) compared to controls (121.0 s), but this was not statistically significant.
- Magnesium pretreatment did not significantly accelerate pancuronium's onset of action.
Conclusions:
- Pretreatment with magnesium does not provide a clinically useful increase in the speed of onset for pancuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade.
- The findings suggest magnesium is not an effective adjunct for accelerating neuromuscular blockade onset with pancuronium.