Summary
Fifteen patients demonstrating unexpected prolonged apnoea lasting several hours after succinylcholine have been treated by a new preparation of human serum cholinesterase.
Adequate spontaneous respiration was re-established in an average period of ten minutes after the injection. In 12 patients biochemical genetic examinations confirmed the presence of an atypical serum cholinesterase. In three patients none of the usual variants were found. It is therefore supposed that other unknown variants of serum cholinesterase exist which cannot hydrolyze succinylcholine.
The use of serum cholinesterase in succinylcholine apnoea provided considerable relief to both patient and anaesthetist.
Résumé
Quinze malades ayant réagi à la succinylcholine par une apnée de plus ďune heure ont été traités par une cholinesterase serique ďorigine humaine.
Le retour ďune respiration spontanée suffisante était obtenu en moyenne dix minutes après injection. Les examens biologiques et génètiques ont demonstré ľexistence ďune cholinesterase atypique chez 12 des malades. Chez les trois autre aucune des variants connues de ľenzyme n’a été trouvée. Ľhypothése de ľexistence ďautres formes de cholinesterase incapables ďhydrolyser la succinylcholine est supportée. Ľemploi de la cholinesterase serique humains est avantageuse pour le malade et pour ľanesthésiste. Aucune action secondaire n’a été observee.
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Scholler, K.L., Goedde, H.W. & Benkmann, HG. The use of serum cholinesterase in succinylcholine apnoea. Canad. Anaesth. Soc. J. 24, 396–400 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03005113
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03005113