[Etomidate and suxamethonium. The duration of relaxation and pseudocholinesterase activity. A clinical experimental...

In ten health volunteers general anaesthesia was induced with etomidate (0.3 mg per kg body weight) and continued with NWO/O2 inhalation. Together with etomidate, suxamethonium (1.5 mg per kg body weight) was given simultaneously and the same dose reinjected as soon as the original muscle tone had returned completely. At equal intervals after the first and second injection the pseudocholinesterase was spectrophotometrically measured. No significant alteration of the enzyme activity was detectable at any time. Etomidate therefore does not inhibit the pseudocholinesterase. The two phases of relaxation were registered with the "finger-twitch" method and their duration compared. Etomidate did not prolong the time of relaxation after suxamethonium.