Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents
General
Drugs that interrupt transmission at the skeletal neuromuscular junction without causing depolarization of the motor end plate. They prevent acetylcholine from triggering muscle contraction and are used as muscle relaxants during electroshock treatments, in convulsive states, and as anesthesia adjuvants. Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) lead in 1/10,000 anesthesia to severe acute hypersensitivity reactions i.e., anaphylaxis. Incidences vary between types of NMBAs. Rocuronium, a widely used non-depolarizing aminosteroid NMBA, induces among the highest anaphylaxis rates.
