Effects of different methods of administration on clinical pharmacodynamics of cisatracurium during liver transplantation

Objective To evaluate the effects of different methods of administration on clinical pharmacodynamics of cisatracurium during liver transplantation.Methods Twenty-four ASA physical status Ⅲ patients of both sexes,aged 18-63 yr,weighing 60-88 kg,with body mass index of 20-30 kg/m2,scheduled for elective liver transplantation,were randomly divided into 2 groups (n =12 each):continuous infusion group (group C) and intermittent bolus injection group (group Ⅰ).The total intravenous anesthesia was used during surgery.When T1 recovered to 10％ of control height after induction of anesthesia,continuous infusion of cisatracurium was started with an initial rate of 1.5 μg· kg-1 · min-1,and the infusion rate was manually adjusted to maintain T1 at about 10％ in group C,and intermittent iv boluses of cisatracurium 0.03 mg/kg were given to maintain T1 ≤ 10％ in group Ⅰ.The use of muscle relaxants was stopped immediately after peritoneum closure.The consumption of cisatracurium per minute,time for T1 to recover from 10％ to 25％,recovery index and time for recovery of spontaneous breathing after surgery were recorded.Results Compared with group Ⅰ,the consumption of cisatracurium per minute was significantly reduced and the time for recovery of spontaneous breathing after surgery was shortened (P ＜ 0.05),and no significant changes were found in the time for T1 to recover from 10％ to 25％ and recovery index in group C (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Compared with intermittent bolus injection,continuous infusion of cisatracurium during liver transplantation is helpful in improving the clinical potency of the muscle relaxant and in reducing the occurrence of complications during anesthesia recovery period. Key words: Infusions, intravenous ;  Injections, intravenous ;  Neuromuscular nondepolarizing agents ; Liver transplantation ;  Pharmacology, clinical