Colistimethate as a cause of postoperative apnoea.

Try. N m n a o M a s ~ N~OC~,NO ~,crmN of several commonly employed antibiotics is now well established, x Respiratory arrest in humans has been attributed to intraperitoneal installation of neomycin, 2,8 kanamycin, 4 and streptomycin, ~,e to intraplueral neomycin, 7 and to streptomycin e and intravenous kanamyein, s In several isolated instances, neostigmine-resistant curarization occurred in patients whoso bowel had been prepared for surgery with oral neomycin. ",18 Respiratory failure was observed in an unanaesthetized infant following six oral doses of 100 rag. of neomycin, n While colistiu sulfate is an effective non-depolarizing blocking agent, the sodium salt of the methane sulfonate derivative of colistin is devoid of neuromuscular blocking activity, x2 Nevertheless two case's of apncea have been described following the administration of large doses of colistimethate sodium, xs,~4 This report describes a case of prolonged postoperative apnoea resulting from the parenteral administration of this polysaceharide antibiotic.