Dose-response curves for pancuronium and tubocurarine: comparison of single and cumulative dose techniques

Dose-response curves for pancuronium and tubocurarine were constructed using single-dose and cumulative-dose methods of administration. The dose-response curves for pancuronium were similar using the two methods, and resulted in an ED95 (dose required to produce 95% block of the twitch height) of 60 and 59 micrograms kg-1 using single-dose and cumulative-dose methods respectively. Although the dose-response curves for tubocurarine differed in their slopes and intercepts (significantly (P less than 0.01) for intercepts), the magnitudes of the ED95, 449 and 529 micrograms kg-1 respectively, were not significantly different. A cumulative-dose method for determination of the potency (ED95) of relatively long-acting drugs, such as pancuronium and tubocurarine, gives results which are similar to those obtained using a single bolus method, but has the advantage of requiring fewer subjects.