JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS
AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
A&A International Anesthesia Research Society
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Anesth Analg 1988; 67:240-246
© 1988 International Anesthesia Research Society
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a colleague
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Van Der Spek, A. F. L.
Right arrow Articles by Schork, M. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Van Der Spek, A. F. L.
Right arrow Articles by Schork, M. A.

Interactions of Vecuronium and Atracurium in an In Vitro Nerve-Muscle Preparation

A. F. L. Van Der Spek, MD, J. T. Zupan, MD, B. J. Pollard, FFARCS, and M. A. Schork, PhD

Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Abstract

Atracurium and vecuronium were compared when given alone and in combination in the in vitro rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation stimulated via the phrenic nerve. The slopes of the log dose response curves of atracurium and vecuronium were parallel; their ED50s were 1.12 ± 0.0035·10–5 M and 5.89 ± 0.16·10–6 M, respectively. The combination's log dose response curves were significantly shifted to the left when compared with those of either relaxant alone; an increased potency is displayed by the combination. These observations indicate nondepolarizing musclerelaxant synergy for the combination of equal proportions of vecuronium and atracurium. The synergistic interaction of vecuronium and atracurium in this in vitro-model is not dependent on pharmacokinetic factors such as uptake, distribution, and biodegradation as are present in the in vivo animal models and in humans. Synergy of vecuronium and atracurium in vitro is a new finding and is consistent with hypotheses of multiple receptor sites and different modes of action of the "competitive" neuromuscular blocking agents. This degree of synergy, seen in the in vitro animal data, if extrapolatable to humans, is probably of little clinical significance.

Key Words: NEUROMUSCULAR RELAXANTS—vecuronium, atracurium




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Anesth. Analg.Home page
D. S. Breslin, K. Jiao, A. S. Habib, J. Schultz, and T. J. Gan
Pharmacodynamic Interactions Between Cisatracurium and Rocuronium
Anesth. Analg., January 1, 2004; 98(1): 107 - 110.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999 HighWire Press
Copyright © 1988 by the International Anesthesia Research Society.