Prolonged neuromuscular blockade following vecuronium infusion

J Clin Anesth. 1990 Jul-Aug;2(4):269-71. doi: 10.1016/0952-8180(90)90107-e.

Abstract

Administration of vecuronium by infusion is an increasingly common technique, both in the operating room and in the intensive care unit (ICU), for patients requiring prolonged neuromuscular blockade and mechanical ventilation. The major advantage of vecuronium over older neuromuscular blocking agents is its rapid excretion and intermediate duration of action. Prior to the current case report, the longest reported continuous paralysis after the cessation of a vecuronium infusion was 90 hours. A case of an 81-year-old patient with renal failure and subclinical chronic cirrhosis of the liver, who remained paralyzed for 13 days following a vecuronium infusion, is described. Intensive monitoring of neuromuscular function is recommended whenever muscle relaxants are administered by continuous infusion.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Anesthesia, Intravenous / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / physiopathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Neuromuscular Junction / drug effects
  • Paralysis / chemically induced*
  • Vecuronium Bromide / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Vecuronium Bromide