An Evaluation of Continuous Infusion Rocuronium for Sustained Neuromuscular Blockade in Critically Ill Adults

Recent medication shortages of the neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) cisatracurium have forced the prescribing of aminosteroidal agents such as rocuronium. There are limited data on the use and dosing of continuous infusion (CI) rocuronium in critically ill patients outside of the operating room.

We sought to describe the use of CI rocuronium for sustained neuromuscular blockade in intensive care unit (ICU) patients by characterizing the dosing, utilization, and safety profile in patients with multiple organ failure (MOF) and non-MOF.

This was a retrospective review of patients in mixed ICUs from 2 tertiary medical centers who received CI rocuronium between January 2018 and July 2019.

A total of 46 unique rocuronium infusions were utilized for 40 patients during the evaluation period. Of these, 37% had MOF, and 41% had at least 1 organ fail during the rocuronium infusion. The median starting and maximum dose was 8 µg/kg/min. Overall, 64% of train of 4 (TOF) measurements were a TOF 0 (T0) or TOF 1 (T1), with a higher percentage of T0 or T1 in the MOF group compared with the non-MOF group (75% vs 50%). The median time to recovery was more than twice as long for the MOF compared with the non-MOF group (10 vs 4.6 hours). ICU-acquired weakness was diagnosed in 27% of survivors.

In ICU patients with MOF, continuous rocuronium infusions were associated with deep levels of paralysis and prolonged recovery times. If neuromuscular blockade is required for critically ill patients, alternative strategies could be considered.