COMPARISON OF INTUBATING CONDITIONS AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF ORG 9426 (ROCURONIUM) AND SUXAMETHONIUM

We have assessed intubating conditions after administrationof Org 9426 (rocuronium) 600 fig kg^–1 at 60 or 90s ingroups of 20 patients anaesthetized with thiopentone, nitrousoxide in oxygen and small doses of fentanyl, and compared thedata with those obtained after suxamethonium 1 mg kg^–1in similar groups of patients. The influence of prior suxamethoniumadministration on the potency of Org 9426 was studied also byconstructing a dose-response curve. Intubating conditions afterOrg 9426 were found to be clinically acceptable (good or excellent)in 95% of patients at 60 s and in all patients at 90 s and inall patients at both times after suxamethonium. The averagetime for the onset of block following Org 9426 at this dosewas 89 s (which is shorter than with any of the currently availablenon-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking drugs); the durationof clinical relaxation (25% recovery of twitch height) 30 min.Prior administration of suxamethonium did not appear to influencethe potency of Org 9426.