Korean J Anesthesiol.  1977 Jun;10(1):59-64.

Serum Potassium Changes in Tibial Fracture of Rabbits from Intravenous Succinylcholine Chloride

• Kim SN
• Chung WH

Abstract

The use of the succinylcholine chloride for endotracheal intubation is a widely accepted technic during induction of inhalational anesthesia, Currently transient hyperkalemia is well known to occur in man following intravenous administratian of succinylcholine chloride. Furthermore, the massive hyperkalemia following succinylcholine chloride administration is a recognized danger in patients with severe burns, massive trauma, muscle dystrophy and skeletal muscle paralysis caused by peripheral nerve injury or lesions of the central nervous system. Increased serum potassium may lead to severe cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac arrest. We studied the effect of intravenously administered succinylcholine chloride on the serum potassium level and electrocardiographic changes in nontraumatized and traumatized (fract- ured tibia) rabbits. The following results were obtained: 1. Serum potassium was slightly increased in the non-traumatized group and slightly decreased in the traumatized group before succinylcholine chloride injection, after 5 minutes of succinyl choline chloride injection and after 10 minutes of succinylcholine chloride injection but no statistical significance was noticed in either group. 2. Serum calcium was significantly decreased in the traumatized group after intravenous succinylcholine chloride. (p<0. 05) 3. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were decreased in both non-traumatized and traumatized groups due to blood loss during the studies.4. In the non-traumatized group, the incidence of arrhythmia was increased from 25 to 40% and incidence of arrhythmia in the traumatized group was the same, 53. 3% before and after succinylcholine chloride injection.

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia
Arrhythmias, Cardiac
Burns
Calcium
Central Nervous System
Choline
Electrocardiography
Heart Arrest
Hematocrit
Humans
Hyperkalemia
Incidence
Intubation, Intratracheal
Muscle, Skeletal
Paralysis
Peripheral Nerve Injuries
Potassium*
Rabbits*
Succinylcholine*
Tibial Fractures*
Calcium
Choline
Potassium
Succinylcholine