EFFECT OF HALOTHANE, ISOFLURANE AND SEVOFLURANE ON THE MAGNITUDE, TIME COURSE AND REVERSAL OF NEUROMUSCULAR BLOCKADE PRODUCED BY ATRACURIUM MUSCLE RELAXANT

Abstract

Sevoflurane was identified at 1971 as a potent, safe new inhalational agent by wallin and Napoli. The low blood /gas solubility ratio of sevoflurane suggests that it may have advantage over other inhalation anesthetics in neuromuscular patients where rapid wash in and out is desirable. Sevoflurane is degraded by Co2 absorbents to compound A. The delivery of sevoflurane with a low fresh gas flow increases the generation of compound A. the administration of compound A to rats can produce injury to renal tubules that is dependent on both the dose and the duration of exposure to compound A.

In this study a comparison was done to show the effect of equipotent doses of inhalational drugs sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane on a fixed dose of the neuromuscular blocking drug atracurium during anesthesia as regard onset, duration of action and to examine the spontaneous recovery rate from atracurium induced neuromuscular block during administration of these inhalational anesthetics.