ABSTRACT
The duration of action of vecuronium was tested in 41 surgical patients to evaluate whether cyclosporine modulates the action of vecuronium. The patients were divided into three groups: 12 patients with normal renal function (group A); 14 renal transplant recipients who had received cyclosporine before surgery (group B); and 15 patients with chronic renal failure undergoing surgery other than renal transplantation and who did not receive cyclosporine (group C). The times to 10% and 20% recovery of the first twitch (REC 10 and REC 20) after intravenous administration of vecuronium 0.12 mg·kg-1 were measured using an electromyogram in each group. REC 10 and REC 20 were significantly prolonged in the patients of group B (REC 10: 93±18 min, REC 20: 110±14 min) and group C (REC 10: 80±10 min, REC 20: 89±12 min) than in the patients of group A (REC 10: 39±5 min, REC 20: 45±5 min) (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the duration of action of vecuronium between the patients of groups B and C. In summary, cyclosporine did not prolong the duration of action of vecuronium in the renal transplant recipients when the same dose was administered compared with the patients with chronic renal failure who did not receive cyclosporine.
