THE EFFECT OF MIVACURIUM PRETREATMENT ON INTRAOCULAR-PRESSURE CHANGESINDUCED BY SUXAMETHONIUM

Forty patients without eye disease, undergoing elective nonophthalmic surgery, were studied in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlle d study evaluating the efficacy of mivacurium pretreatment in attenuat ing the rise in intra-ocular pressure in response to suxamethonium adm inistration, laryngoscopy and intubation. The patients were randomly a llocated to receive either mivacurium 0.02 mg.kg(-1) or normal saline as pretreatment 3 min before a rapid sequence induction technique usin g alfentanil, propofol and suxamethonium. Suxamethonium induced a sign ificant increase in intra-ocular pressure in the control group but not in the mivacurium pretreatment group (mean (SEM) increase = 3.5 (1.2) mmHg vs. 0.4 (0.8) mmHg, p < 0.05). There was a decrease in intra-ocu lar pressure in both groups after laryngoscopy and intubation with no significant difference between the two groups. These results show that mivacurium pretreatment is effective in preventing the increase in in tra-ocular pressure after suxamethonium administration.