Spontaneous Respiration:Suxamethonium vs Rocuronium/Sugammadex Ver 3.0

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Time to resumption of spontaneous respiration in patients administered either suxamethonium or rocuronium followed by sugammadex

• IRAS ID

  17570

• Contact name

  Rajinder K Mirakhur

• Eudract number

  2009-010840-33

• Research summary

  Muscle relaxants are often used in the practice of anaesthesia to secure a patient??s airway (intubation) and to assist the surgical team with the operation. Suxamethonium is a short acting muscle relaxant, which is commonly used in anaesthesia due to its fast onset of action and ability to provide good conditions in order for the anaesthetist to perform safe intubation. It may be, however, occasionally associated with a number of side effects including muscle pains, allergic reactions and malignant hyperthermia in some patients. Rocuronium is another type of muscle relaxant that may be used instead of suxamethonium but, while not associated with the same side effects, it has a much longer duration of action which may cause problems if the anaesthetist cannot intubate, thus limiting its use in the emergency setting. Sugammadex, a gamma-cyclodextrin, is a relatively new drug, which can rapidly and safely reverse the muscle relaxant effects of rocuronium by encapsulation. It is important to know which treatment allows patients to resume control of their own breathing in the shortest possible time. In some patients, especially those with illnesses such as arthritis or trauma patients who cannot be moved in case of further injury, intubation may be difficult or even impossible. This study aims to assess the time taken for a patient to start breathing using their own muscles after being given either suxamethonium or rocuronium followed by sugammadex. Other measurements including oxygen saturations will be recorded. All patients will be undergoing planned surgery under general anaesthesia at time of assessment and will be under the care of an experienced anaesthetist at all times, who will provide oxygen and monitor their breathing pattern and observations. Information from this study will be used to allow anaesthetists to choose which technique of muscle relaxation is safest for patients undergoing emergency surgery.

• REC name

  Scotland A REC

• REC reference

  09/MRE00/66

• Date of REC Opinion

  17 Aug 2009

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion