The Effect of Succinylcholine on Intraocular Pressure*

Effects of thiopentone/suxamethonium on intraocular pressure after pretreatment with alfentanil

“…In agreement with the current literature [1,2], we found that thiopentone/suxamethonium increased IOP significantly. Pretreatment with alfentanil prevented the increases in IOP in our patient population.…”

“…Suxamethonium is known to increase IOP [1,2]. Thus, traditional teaching is that suxamethonium should be avoided in patients with penetrating eye injuries, because of the danger of vitreous expulsion.…”

“…In group 1 patients, a decrease in IOP occurred which was related to the decrease in arterial blood pressure. We conclude that alfentanil pretreatment can prevent the increase in IOP following suxamethonium administration.Key words: Intraocular pressure, Alfentanil pretreatment; suxamethonium, thiopentone Suxamethonium is considered to exert detrimental effects on intraocular pressure (IOP) in certain patients [1,2]. Thus different methods of pretreatment have been proposed to reduce or avoid suxamethonium-induced elevations of IOR Small doses of competitive muscle relaxants or "self-taming" doses of suxamethonium have been given [3].…”

Intraocular pressures after suxamethonium and endotracheal intubation

“…Hofman & HoIzer4 and Lincoff et a/. 5 concluded that the response of the extraocular muscles to suxamethonium was a sustained contracture, unlike the response of the other skeletal muscles in man, and that this caused the rise in IOP. The administration of tubocurarine 3 mg or gallamine 20 mg 3 min before an injection of suxamethonium has been reported to prevent the suxamethonium-induced rise in IOP, 6 and this finding has been confirmed by Dickmann, Goecke & Wiemers' who used tubocurarine 0.04 mg/kg or gallamine0.5 mgikg.…”

Anesthesia and Intraocular Pressure

“…Succinylcholine caused a smaller rise in patients under deep anesthesia or had no effect. 26 The investigators suggested that the rise in intraocular pressure after succinylcholine is secondary to contraction or contracture of the extraocular muscles. This opinion was based on the finding that the eye tends to rotate away from a severed muscle.…”