A comparison of the response to suxamethonium in post-partum and gynaecological patients.

The response to suxamethonium was assessed in 20 women undergoing tubal ligation on the first or second post-partum day and in 20 women undergoing interval tubal ligation. The dose of suxamethonium which produced 80% depression of control twitch height was significantly lower in the puerperal patients. Similarly, recovery times following injection of a 20-mg bolus of the drug were significantly longer in the post-partum than the non-obstetric group. Cholinesterase activity, determined in six post-partum women, was inversely related to the time to maximal recovery. Thus, smaller doses of suxamethonium are required in the early puerperium.