[Acid base changes and muscle relaxants].

Previous publications have provided conflicting results concerning the effects of respiratory and metabolic acid base changes on the neuromuscular effects of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants. The varying results can be attributed not only to experimental design or species difference, but also to the accompanying changes in the pharmacokinetics in vivo. Using the phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation of rats, in which many variables of in vivo studies can be eliminated, respiratory and metabolic acid-base changes were induced by varying carbon dioxide (PCO2) and bicarbonate (HCO3) concentrations in the Krebs' solution and their effects on the potencies of muscle relaxants were compared. Decreasing pH by increasing Pco2 or by decreasing HCO3 increased the potencies of the monoquaternary relaxants (d-tubocurarine, vecuronium and rocuronium), while pH changes did not affect the potencies of the bisquaternary relaxants (metocurine, pancuronium and pipecuronium). Above difference between mono- and bisquaternary relaxants may reflect pH-induced changes in the ionization of the tertiary ammonium and resulting in changes in the sensitivity to the anionic nicotinic receptors. Neostigmine-induced antagonism was not affected by acid-base changes. These results in vitro were compared and correlated with the previous results in vivo.