Succinylcholine can cause cardiac arrhythmias, especially when administered during halothane anesthesia. The drug stimulates autonomic cholinoceptors, including the nicotinic receptors at both sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia and muscarinic receptors in the heart (eg, sinus node). The negative inotropic and chronotropic responses to succinylcholine can be attenuated by administration of an anticholinergic drug (eg, glycopyrrolate, atropine). With large doses of succinylcholine, positive inotropic and chronotropic effects may be observed. On the other hand, bradycardia has been repeatedly observed when a second dose of succinylcholine is given less than 5 minutes
TABLE 27–3 Effects of neuromuscular blocking drugs on other tissues.
1Allergic reactions have been reported.
after the initial dose. This transient bradycardia can be prevented by thiopental, atropine, and ganglionic-blocking drugs, and by pretreating with a small dose of a nondepolarizing muscle relaxant (eg, rocuronium). Direct myocardial effects, increased muscarinic stimulation, and ganglionic stimulation contribute to this bradycardic response.
Other Adverse Effects of Depolarizing Blockade
A. Hyperkalemia
Patients with burns, nerve damage or neuromuscular disease, closed head injury, and other trauma may develop proliferation of extrajunctional acetylcholine receptors. During administration of succinylcholine, potassium is released from muscles, likely due to fasciculations. If the proliferation of extrajunctional receptors is great enough, sufficient potassium may be released to result in cardiac arrest. The exact time course of receptor proliferation is unknown; therefore, it is best to avoid the use of succinylcholine in these cases.
B. Increased Intraocular Pressure
Administration of succinylcholine may be associated with the rapid onset of an increase in intraocular pressure (<60 seconds), peaking at 2–4 minutes, and declining after 5 minutes. The mechanism may involve tonic contraction of myofibrils or transient dilation of ocular choroidal blood vessels. Despite the increase in intraocular pressure, the use of succinylcholine for ophthalmologic operations is not contraindicated unless the anterior chamber is open (“open globe”) due to trauma.
C. Increased Intragastric Pressure
In heavily muscled patients, the fasciculations associated with succinylcholine may cause an increase in intragastric pressure ranging from 5 to 40 cm H2O, increasing the risk for regurgitation and aspiration of gastric contents. This complication is more likely to occur in patients with delayed gastric emptying (eg, those with diabetes), traumatic injury (eg, an emergency case), esophageal dysfunction, and morbid obesity.
D. Muscle Pain
Myalgias are a common postoperative complaint of heavily muscled patients and those who receive large doses (>1.5 mg/kg) of succinylcholine. The true incidence of myalgias related to muscle fasciculations is difficult to establish because of confounding factors, including the anesthetic technique, type of surgery, and positioning during the operation. However, the incidence of myalgias has been reported to vary from less than 1% to 20%. It occurs more frequently in ambulatory than in bedridden patients. The pain is thought to be secondary to the unsynchronized contractions of adjacent muscle fibers just before the onset of paralysis. However, there is controversy over whether the incidence of muscle pain following succinylcholine is actually higher than with nondepolarizing muscle relaxants when other potentially confounding factors are taken into consideration.
Interactions with Other Drugs
A. Anesthetics