Atracurium for intubation in man

Atracurium is a new competitive neuromuscular blocking agent. We prospectively studied intubating conditions 2.5 minutes after atracurium doses of 0.4 or 0.5 mg/kg. For comparison, we evaluated conditions 1 minute after suxamethonium 1.0 mg/kg, there being 10 patients in each group. The same anaesthetist evaluated conditions during laryngoscopy and intubation in all patients. Intubating conditions were excellent in 33% of patients receiving atracurium 0.4 mg/kg and 60% of those receiving atracurium 0.5 mg/kg after 2.5 minutes; conditions were excellent in 80% of patients 1 minute after suxamethonium. The incidence of successful intubation on the first attempt was 67%, 90%, and 100%, respectively, in the three groups. Atracurium may be a suitable alternative to suxamethonium when speed of intubation is not critical.