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J U LY 2 0 1 5 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
choline. Whether succinylcholine could have saved Ms. Rivers is up
for debate, since many of the circumstances surrounding her demise
are still shrouded in mystery. But there's no question that a medica-
tion that has traditionally been given little consideration in the
endoscopy setting is suddenly garnering much more attention.
For many anesthesia providers. succinylcholine is the first choice
for breaking a laryngospasm. Others, however, advocate rocuronium.
Which is the better choice? Incidentally, laryngospasm can often be
"broken" by using positive pressure ventilation with an Ambu bag, but
let's focus on situations in which medication intervention is necessary.
I polled many anesthesia providers to get their thoughts on which
agent should be added to the endoscopy formulary. Both have advo-
cates, but by a slight edge, the majority said they find rocuronium ade-
quate as a muscle relaxant for any adverse airway event. OSM
Mr. Ruspantine (perryr@anesprof.com) is clinical compliance
manager for Anesthesia Professionals, Inc., in Dartmouth, Mass.
