[Use of vecuronium bromide for anesthesia for renal transplantation]

We used vecuronium on 7 patients for renal transplants and recorded the muscle relaxant effect using an Anesthesia and Brain Monitor; we also compared them with patients with normal renal function. Results show that there were no significant differences between renal transplant patients and patients with normal renal functions in regard to the time of appearance of effect, duration of effect and recovery rate but the effect was somewhat prolonged in the renal transplant patients. Therefore, although vecuronium is said to be a muscle relaxant with little renal dependency, and it is used on renal transplant patients with renal insufficiency, the possibility of a prolonged effect must be considered. It is important to monitor continuously by a muscle relaxant monitor, grasp adequately the conditions of muscle relaxation, and observe carefully the postoperative respiratory conditions.