Acceleromyography for use in scientific and clinical practice: a systematic review of the evidence

This systematic review describes the evidence on the use of acceleromyography for perioperative neuromuscular monitoring in clinical practice and research. The review documents that although acceleromyography is widely used in research, it cannot be used interchangeably with mechanomyography and electromyography for construction of dose-response curves or for recording different pharmacodynamic variables after injection of a neuromuscular blocking agent. Some studies indicate that it may be beneficial to use a preload to increase the precision of acceleromyography, and to "normalize" the train-of-four ratio to decrease the bias in relation to mechanomyography and electromyography. However, currently the evidence is insufficient to support the routine clinical use of preload and "normalization." In contrast, there is good evidence that acceleromyography improves detection of postoperative residual paralysis. A train-of-four ratio of 1.0 predicts with a high predictive value recovery of pulmonary and upper airway function from neuromuscular blockade.