BACKGROUND Patients with muscular dystrophy have been reported to experience a variety of life-threatening complications during and after general anesthesia. We performed a systematic analysis to define the spectrum of anesthetic-related complications in patients with muscular dystrophy, with an emphasis on malignant hyperthermia susceptibility. METHODS A literature search was undertaken usin...

A 19-year-old Asian male with no notable medical history presented to the emergency department with a 12-h history of acute abdominal pain. The patient’s condition was diagnosed as acute appendicitis, and he underwent an emergent laparoscopic appendectomy. A 1-mg dose of vecuronium followed by 120 mg of succinylcholine was administered to induce paralysis and facilitate endotracheal intubation....

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a phenomenon denied by Collins1 in 1976, but supported in later studies by Wehner 2 in 1979 and Lewis8 in 1982. The phenomenon is potentiation of the muscle relaxing action of succinylcholine by the neuroleptanesthesia agent Innovar,® as measured with a peripheral nerve stimulator. The two types of muscle relaxants used are non-depolarizing and depola...