Jurkolow_2014_Ann.Fr.Anesth.Reanim_33_176

Patients who are given a single dose of succinylcholine normally undergo a short-acting depolarizing phase I neuromuscular block but rarely a phase II block. Prolonged neuromuscular blockade occurs after a single dose of succinylcholine in case of genetically determined abnormal plasma butyrylcholinesterase activity. It is mandatory to use monitoring to detect this side effect. We report a case of a patient with abnormal plasma butyrylcholinesterase activity undergoing a six-hour prolonged neuromuscular phase II block, after a single dose of succinylcholine.