Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog under anesthesia with prolonged muscle paralysis not reversed
By Martin-Flores, Manuel et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2011·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Failure to reverse prolonged vecuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade with edrophonium in an anesthetized dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog that was under anesthesia experienced prolonged muscle relaxation after receiving a medication called vecuronium. The veterinarian used a special test to check the dog's muscle response and found it was only partially recovering. When they tried to reverse the effects with edrophonium, it didn't work, but using another medication called neostigmine successfully restored the dog's muscle function. This case highlights the importance of monitoring muscle response during anesthesia to ensure pets are safe before waking them up.
People also search for: dog anesthesia recovery · vecuronium side effects in dogs · neostigmine for dog muscle relaxation
Abstract
A case of prolonged muscle relaxation after vecuronium in an anesthetized dog is presented. After using peripheral nerve stimulation to confirm partial recovery of neuromuscular transmission, administration of 0.5 mg/kg IV of intravenous edrophonium failed to complete the reversal process. Subsequent administration of neostigmine resulted in complete recovery from blockade. Without monitoring neuromuscular function with a peripheral nerve stimulator until reversal was complete, it was very likely this patient would have been extubated with incomplete neuromuscular transmission. Several factors affecting the duration of neuromuscular blockade and its reversal are addressed.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21673340/