Abstracts

Abstract

Introduction. The purpose of the study was to determine the hemodynamic effects and conditions of ventilation and tracheal intubation after paralysis with either rocuronium (R) or vecuronium (V) during induction of anesthesia with moderate dose fentanyl. Patients and Methods. After IRB approval and written consent, 20 patients undergoing coronary artery surgery were randomized to receive, in a blinded fashion, ILI mg/kg (n= IlL or V, 015 mg/kg (n = 9). Premedication was with Iorazepam. Anesthesia was induced with an infusion of fentanyl, 0. I ug/kg/min, followed by a bolus of 15 ug/kg. The muscle relaxant was given 90 sec after the fentanyl induction, and the trachea was intubated 90 sec later. Ease of bag-mask ventilation was evaluated every 15 seconds before and after the relaxant. Tracheal intubating conditions were evaluated according to jaw relaxation, status of vocal cords, and cough/buck response. Train of four monitoring of the facial nerve-orbicularis oculis muscle was done. Data were compared between groups with Student's t test and the Cochran-ManteI-Haenzel test. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results. Demographics and hemodynamics were similar between groups. Compared with V, patients receiving R were easier to ventilate, had faster loss of TOF, and better overall intubating conditions (Table) Discussion. During conditions of the study, R produced similar hemodynamics and better conditions for bag-mask ventilation and tracheal intubation compared with V.