Residual relaxation in the posanesthetic care unit

Relajación residual en la unidad de cuidado posanestésico

The use of neuromuscular relaxants in clinical practice is becoming more frequent and indispensable in the anesthetic act and the intensive care unit. Although the neuromuscular blockers of both aminosteroids and benzylisoquinolines of last generation have minimal adverse effects, residual relaxation is a complication of considerable incidence associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. Due to this we raised the importance of knowing the different methods of monitoring the neuromuscular block with its interpretation, emphasizing the monitoring with the train of four (TOF), the ratio between the first and the fourth response T4 / T1 (TOF RATIO) and prevention strategies for residual relaxation. Abbreviations: TOF, train of four; PORC, postoperative residual paralysis; RNMND, non-depolarizing neuromuscular relaxants; UCPA, postoperative care unit.

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