A Comparison of Four Muscle Relaxant Techniques and their Incidence of Postoperative Myalgia in Ambulatory Patients

Postoperative myalgia was measured 24 and 72 hours following the administration of four different anesthetic regimens to 36 patients undergoing outpatient or 23-hour admission procedures. Each patient, ASA class I or II, was to undergo procedures of limited duration, 30 to 90 minutes, and surgical stimulation, including procedures such as knee arthroscopy, hernia repair, and breast biopsy. Anesthesia was induced with propofol 1.5 mg/kg, fentanyl 50 mcg, and maintained with O2 , N2O, and isoflurane. Group I (n=20), the control, received no muscle relaxant and was maintained with mask ventilation. Group II (n=5) received succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg prior to intubation. Group III (n=5) received tubocurarine 3 mg as a defasciculant prior to succinylcholine. Group IV (n=6) received vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg prior to intubation. On a scale of Oto 100, 24 and 72 hours postoperatively, Group I had mean pain scores of 7.30 and 7.80, Group II, 25.60 and 8.60, Group III, 10.00 and 11.00, and Group IV, 11.70 and 16.00. The control group, Group I, experienced significantly less (