Effects of Precurarization on the Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Changes Induced by Suxamethonium Facilitated Laryngoscopy and Intubation

The effects of precurarization on blood pressure and heart rate increases during laryngoscopy and intubation were studied in 60 surgical patients, who were randomly allocated to four groups, receiving as a pretreatment d-tubocurarine (0.05 mg/kg), alcuronium (0.03 mg/kg), pancuronium (0.008 mg/kg) or saline in a double-blind fashion. d-Tubocurarine and alcuronium pretreatments seemed to attenuate the blood pressure increase during laryngoscopy and intubation under suxamethonium. Moreover, d-tubocurarine pretreatment protected effectively against high blood-pressure increases. Heart-rate increases were of the same magnitude in all the pretrealed groups. d-Tubocurarine pretreat ment abolished suxamethonium-induced fasciculations completely, whereas alcuronium pretreatment gave protection in 93% and pancuronium pretreatment in 43% of patients.