Atracurio Dosage and Administration Guidelines

Monitoring and Pharmacology

• The American Society of Critical Care Medicine recommends using a peripheral nerve stimulator to allow for the most advantageous use of atracurio, minimizing the possibility of overdose or underdose, and helping in the evaluation of recovery, with train-of-four (TOF) monitoring being the most reliable method for evaluating the degree of neuromuscular blockade 1
• Atracurio is a neuromuscular blocker with intermediate action and minimal cardiovascular effects, inactivating in the plasma through ester hydrolysis and Hofmann elimination, making it unaffected by renal or hepatic dysfunction 2
• High doses of atracurio may be associated with histamine release, potentially causing adverse cardiovascular effects, and its breakdown product laudanosine has been linked to central nervous system excitement at extremely high doses 2