British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Influence of "priming" on the potency of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents.
Dose-response curves have been constructed to determine the ED50 and ED95 (doses required to produce a 50% and a 95% block, respectively) following administration of a small "priming" dose of atracurium 50 micrograms kg-1, vecuronium 10 micrograms kg-1 or pancuronium 10 micrograms kg-1. The myoneural blockers were administered subsequently as a single bolus. ⋯ The values showed no significant differences between the respective primed and control groups. Contrary to previous suggestions, our results show no enhancement of blockade when these drugs were administered in divided doses.