Serum potassium in mother and fetus during normal delivery and cesarean section

The influence of i.v. succinylcholine in term pregnant women on serum potassium of the fetus and of their own blood samples of two groups were taken to estimate the potassium level of women and their fetuses: 34 women delivering spontaneously and 24 by cesarean section using general endotracheal anesthesia. No significant differences were found in the newborns of serum potassium level of both groups, a finding which teaches, that succinylcholine given to the mother, has no significant influence on the serum potassium level of the newborn. Likewise, no significant change was foreseen in the serum potassium level in women after introduction of succinylcholine during cesarean section, in contrast to an increase of the serum potassium reported in the literature.