SUXAMETHONIUM AND INTRA-UTERINE PRESSURE BY

Changes in intra-uterine pressure during Caesarean section have been measured in six patients. Suxamethonium was used to provide relaxation. No change in intra-uterine pressure was attributed to suxamethonium given either by continuous infusion or by bolus injection. The effects of the muscle-relaxant drugs on uterine tone have been studied, but the findings have not been consistent. Alver and associates (1962) in a clinical report suggested that suxamethonium decreased uterine muscle tone. However, Felton and Goddard (1966), who recorded intra-amniotic pressures using a trans-abdominal needle, reported a large increase in uterine muscle tone due to the effects of suxamethonium. Reier and Moster (1970) investi-gated the response of uterine muscle strips i