AANA journal
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A comparison of rocuronium and lidocaine for the prevention of postoperative myalgia after succinylcholine administration.
The incidence of postoperative myalgia (POM) after succinylcholine administration has been reported to range from 5% to 83%. The administration of small doses of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants or lidocaine before the administration of succinylcholine has been shown to decrease the incidence and severity of POM experienced by patients. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the severity of POM in subjects receiving pretreatment with rocuronium or lidocaine. ⋯ Of the lidocaine group, 21 (72%) of 29 reported no myalgia at 48 hours compared with only 9 (38%) of 24 in the rocuronium group (P = 0.023). Satisfaction was similar between the groups. Based on the results of this study, pretreatment with lidocaine may provide better relief from myalgia than rocuronium at 48 hours after surgery.