Premedication with Diclofenac and Precurarization with Atracurium on Succinylcholine-Induced Myalgia in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Double-Blinded Randomized Study

Background and aims: Succinylcholine is the only available depolarizing neuromuscular blocker that has been widely used in the induction of anesthesia, and it is the drug of choice for rapid-sequence induction of anesthesia due to its rapid onset of effect and ultrashort duration of action owing to its rapid hydrolysis by acetyl-cholinesterase. Postoperative muscle pain (myalgia) and muscle stiffness are the most common side effects and are observed most frequently on the 1^st postoperative day in ambulatory surgery. The use of succinylcholine in the induction of anesthesia and intubation in routine cases has been discouraged because of such adverse effects. However, because of its cost-effectiveness and easy availability, it is still used by some institutions routinely. This study aimed to study the efficacy of preoperative diclofenac along with atracurium precurarization in alleviating succinylcholine-induced myalgia.

Materials and methods: It is a double-blind randomized comparative study carried out in a tertiary care hospital. The study sample was 60 and divided into two equal groups. All data entered in MS-Excel Sheet and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were done for nonparametric data and one-way ANOVA for the parametric data. The normal distribution of the study sample was tested by the Shapiro - Wilk test.

Results: The fasciculations in the test group were much less than in the control group with P < 0.00001. The results for the incidence of myalgia in the two groups were as follows: P value at 24 h was 0.00018 and at 48 h was 0.0028, respectively. Creatine kinase levels at preoperative and 24 h postoperative periods were 49.47 ± 7.24 in Group D, 53.30 ± 7.98 in Group B and 87.38 ± 15.16 in Group D, and 188.41 ± 33.27 in Group B, respectively.

Conclusion: Succinylcholine-induced myalgia has a complex pathophysiology. However, the preemptive use of diclofenac in combination with precurarization can alleviate the incidence and severity of succinylcholine-induced myalgia. Therefore, its use may be considered in routine cases for induction of anesthesia for facilitating laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation.