Background and objective: Studies with rocuronium showed a delayed onset and prolonged recovery in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The objective of this study was to identify the pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic origin of these alterations.
Methods: Twenty-five male patients (15 with DMD, 10 controls, aged 10-18 years) were studied. Patients were anaesthetized with propofol and sufentanil. Neuromuscular transmission was monitored by acceleromyography. Patients received a single intravenous dose of 0.3 mg kg(-1) rocuronium. In five patients of the DMD group, pharmacokinetic modelling was performed from arterial rocuronium concentrations. The time course of neuromuscular block was analysed with a sigmoid E(max) model including an effect compartment.
Results: The pharmacokinetics of rocuronium in DMD patients were Vc 63 +/- 14 ml kg(-1), Cl 3.0 +/- 1.0 ml min(-1) kg(-1), half-lives 2.0 +/- 0.6, 20 +/- 10 and 129 +/- 98 min, SE. For both the DMD and the control group, the time course of neuromuscular block could be described by a sigmoid E(max) model using the estimated pharmacokinetic parameters of the DMD group. In patients with DMD, the equilibration between the central and effect compartment was significantly slower (T(1/2)ke0: 9.7 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.3 +/- 0.1 min) and the EC(50) was significantly smaller (512 +/- 20 vs. 1170 +/- 64 ng ml(-1)), whereas the ED(50) was 0.16 +/- 0.02 mg kg(-1) in both groups.
Conclusion: The pharmacodynamics of rocuronium were significantly altered in patients with DMD, whereas the pharmacokinetics seemed to be similar to those in healthy adults. Patients with DMD were more sensitive with respect to effect site concentration but not with respect to dose.