A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE RENAL AND HEPATIC EXCRETION OF GALLAMINE TRIETHIODIDE IN MAN

The fate of gallamine triethiodide has been investigated inpatients undergoing cholecystectomy with choledochostomy (groupI), pelvic operations (group II) and orthopaedic operations(group III). Following a single i.v. injection of gallamine2.5 mg kg"1 the disappearance of the drug from the serum occurredin three phases with half-lives of less than 5, 30, 138 min,less than 5, 39, 141 and less than 5, 48, 144 min in the respectivegroups. Twenty-four hours after injection the renal excretionof the unchanged drug was 53% (15–100%) of the administereddose in group I, 67% (40–90%) in group II and 95% (89–100%)in group III. The biliary excretion of gallamine appeared tobe negligible in man. The relationship between renal excretionand duration of action of gallamine, and the influence of someintraoperative factors on drug disposition, are discussed. ^*Also at Institute of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital ofNijmegen, and Institute of Clinical and Experimental Anaesthesiology,University Hospital of Groningen.