Abstract
The effects of the impaired function of the excretory organs on the pharmacodynamics of muscle relaxants have been demonstrated and discussed for liver diseases by Duvaldestin et al. [13] and for alterations of renal parenchyma by Buzello u. Nöldge [5]. We shall analyze whether the normal consequences of the aging process on the function of the excretory organs significantly alters the effects of neuromuscular blocking agents. In fact, the pharmacokinetics and certain dose-effect relationships for numerous drugs used in anesthetic practice (i.e., barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and narcotics) differ markedly for elderly patients as compared with younger subjects [3, 6, 16]. In this paper, we define a series of practical precautionary measures to take when using muscle relaxants in geriatric patients by addressing the following question: does aging modify the loading dose, the latency, and the duration of action of commonly used neuromuscular blocking agents for normal geriatric patients?
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D’Hollander, A., Duvaldestin, P., Capouet, V., Massaut, J., Desmonts, J.M. (1986). Muscle Relaxants for the Geriatric Patient. In: Hossli, G., Frey, P., Kreienbühl, G. (eds) ZAK Zürich. Anaesthesiologie und Intensivmedizin / Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, vol 188. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71269-2_36
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71269-2_36
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