Intensivists use neuromuscular blocking agents for a variety of clinical conditions, including for emergency intubation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, status asthmaticus, elevated intracranial pressure, elevated intra-abdominal pressure, and therapeutic hypothermia after ventricular fibrillation-associated cardiac arrest. The continued creation and use of evidence-based guidelines and pr...

OBJECTIVE The relationship between neuromuscular blocking agents and neuromuscular dysfunction acquired in critical illness remains unclear. We examined the association between neuromuscular blocking agents and ICU-acquired weakness, critical illness polyneuropathy, and critical illness myopathy. DATA SOURCES PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumu...

AN initial transient increase in the size of the muscle twitch before the onset of paralysis has been described as characteristic following the intravenous injection of a depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent. During several series of experiments undertaken in the study of different aspects of neuromuscular block this typical response was confirmed, but it was also noted that occasionally a...

To the Editor:—We read with interest article by Jonsson et al. suggesting that nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents concentration-dependently inhibit human neuronal acetylcholine autoreceptors (nAChRs). The authors argue that the inhibition of the presynaptic 3 2 nAChR subtype plays an important role in tetanic and train-of-four fade seen during nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade. ...

To the Editor:—We read with interest article by Jonsson et al. suggesting that nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents concentration-dependently inhibit human neuronal acetylcholine autoreceptors (nAChRs). The authors argue that the inhibition of the presynaptic 3 2 nAChR subtype plays an important role in tetanic and train-of-four fade seen during nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade. ...