RECOVERY OF POSTTETANIC COUNT AND TRAIN-OF-4 RESPONSES AT THE GREAT TOE AND THUMB

We have studied the recovery of post-tetanic count and train-of-four r esponses at the great toe and thumb accelerographically after the admi nistration of vecuronium 0.2 mg.kg(-1). Sixty adult patients scheduled for anaesthesia with nitrous oxide and isoflurane were studied. The t imes to the return of the first post-tetanic twitch were comparable at the great toe and thumb (mean (SD) times: 30.0 (6.5) min and 35.0 (8. 5) min, respectively). Recovery of post-tetanic count followed similar time courses at the great toe and thumb. Also, time to the return of the first twitch of the train-of-four did not differ significantly at the great toe and thumb (47.5 (9.6) min vs. 49.7 (10.5) min). Similarl y, time to the return of the second, third and fourth twitches of the train-of-four did not significantly differ at the great toe and the th umb. However, the value of the first twitch of the train-of-four, expr essed as a proportion of control twitch, was significantly higher than that at the thumb between 50 min and 110 min after the vecuronium inj ection, and the train-of-four ratio at the great toe was significantly higher than that at the thumb between 60 min and 100 min after the ve curonium injection.