Articles: nerve-block.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 1991
Neuromuscular effects of succinylcholine on the vocal cords and adductor pollicis muscles.
To quantify the effects of succinylcholine at the laryngeal adductor muscles and the adductor pollicis, 17 adult patients were studied during propofol-fentanyl anesthesia. Train-of-four stimulation was applied to the ulnar nerve at the wrist and the recurrent laryngeal nerve at the notch of the thyroid cartilage. Laryngeal response was measured as pressure changes in the cuff of the tracheal tube positioned between the vocal cords. ⋯ Time to 90% recovery of T1 after a bolus of 0.5 mg/kg was similar at the vocal cords (4.3 +/- 0.5 min) and the adductor pollicis (5.2 +/- 0.8 min) (NS). The ED50 was less at the laryngeal adductors (0.170 mg/kg) than at the adductor pollicis (0.278 mg/kg). It is concluded that, in adults, succinylcholine-induced blockade is more rapid and more intense at the laryngeal muscles than at the adductor pollicis.