Evaluation of Muscle Relaxation by Tactile Posttetanic Count / 대한마취과학회지

ABSTRACT

The methods commonly used for monitoring neuromusculsr transmission do not allow evaluation of an intense neuromuscular blockade. Viby-Mogensen et al. introduced posttetanic count by which an intense nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade can be evaluated, Our study was designed to evaluate whether the application of a tetanic stimulation (50 Hz for 5 sec.) every 6 to 10 minutes influences the recovery of neuromuscular transmission. 26 adult patients (ASA class I or II) were studied. They ranged in age from 20 to 71 years (mean 39.7 years). Anesthesia was induced with 0.1 mg/kg vecuronium and 4-5 mg/kg thiopental sodium and maintained with nitrous oxide and halothane. TOF group was stimulated with TOF stimulation only while PTC group with the pattern of stimulation introduced by Viby-Mogensen et al. In our results, the recovery time of PTC group was shorter than that of the TOF group. Therefore, our results indicate that intermittent tetanic stimulation (50 Hz for 5 sec.) every 6 to 10 minutes during intense non depolarizing neuromuscular blockade influences the time to the first response to TOF nerve stimulation.