[Serum myoglobin following intermittent administration of succinylcholine and the effect of dantrolene. Clinical studies of children in halothane anesthesia].

Serum myoglobin concentration was observed over a period of 30 min following succinylcholine (SCH) in 30 children. They were uniformly anaesthetized with halothane; differences, however, concerned premedication and relaxation. They received in group 1 (n = 12) dantrolene 2 X 1 mg X kg-1 orally and SCH 2 X 1 mg X kg-1 i.v., in group 2 (n = 12) only SCH 2 X 1 mg X kg-1 i.v., and in group 3 (n = 6) neither dantrolene nor succinylcholine were used. The mean initial myoglobin concentrations were nearly identical (16.8-17.0 ng X ml-1). In the children without SCH (group 3) no changes could be observed; following SCH (group 2) the mean concentration increased to 1,610.5 ng X ml-1 after 30 min; additional premedication with dantrolene (group 1) led to a significant reduction of the myoglobin concentration (413.7 ng X ml-1; p = 0.031).