EFFECT OF SUCCINYLCHOLINE ON SUBSEQUENTLY ADMINISTERED MIVACURIUM IN CHILDREN

The interaction between mivacurium and succinylcholine when mivacurium was administered during the early recovery from succinylcholine block was studied in 30 children 2-12 years of age anaesthetized with propo fol-alfentanil-N2O-O-2. Neuromuscular response was monitored by adduct or pollicis EMG. Fifteen patients received 200 mu g . kg(-1) of mivacu rium (Group M), and another fifteen received 1500 mu g . kg(-1) of suc cinylcholine followed by 200 mu g . kg(-1) of mivacurium when the firs t EMG response recovered io 5% of calibration value (Group SchM). Plas ma cholinesterase (pChE) activity was normal in each patient. The reco very times following mivacurium did not differ between the two groups. Times required for recovery of the first EMG response from 25 to 75% of full EMG recovery were 3.6+/-1.0 (mean+/-SD) and 4.0+/-0.7 min for the Groups M and SchM, respectively. The rime from administration of m ivacurium to the recover) of train-of-four ratio 0.70 was 13.2+/-3.3 m in for the Group M and 13.6+/-3.1 min for the Group SchM (NS). Thus, i n patients with normal pChE activity preceding administration of succi nylcholine did not influence the recovery of neuromuscular function fr om subsequent mivacurium.