Optimal dose of rocuronium bromide undergoing adenotonsillectomy under 5% sevoflurane with fentanyl

Objective Adenotonsillectomy is a short surgical procedure under general anaesthesia in children. An ideal muscle relaxant for adenotonsillectomy would create an intense neuromuscular block while having a quick recovery time without postoperative morbidity. We compared the effect of different doses of rocuronium for the tracheal intubation in children under 5% sevoflurane and fentanyl. Materials and methods 75 children (aged 3–10 years, ASA I) scheduled for adenotonsillectomy were enrolled. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol 2.5 mg/kg, followed by fentanyl 2 μg/kg. After mask ventilation with 5 vol% sevoflurane in 100% oxygen for 2 min, 2 ml of study drug was administered intravenously, i.e., either normal saline (S Group) or one of two doses (0.15 or 0.3 mg/kg) of rocuronium. We assessed conditions during tracheal intubation and also recorded the surgical condition, the time from discontinuation of sevoflurane to extubation and PAED scale, pain scores in PACU. Results Rocuronium groups (96% and 100%, respectively; P < 0.01) showed statistically superior clinically acceptable intubating conditions than the saline group (72%). The 0.3 mg/kg rocuronium (80%) treatment clearly resulted in excellent intubating conditions compared with the 0.15 mg/kg group (44%; p = 0.028). There was no significant difference in the time to extubation and surgical condition, and in the postoperative measures of emergence delirium, pain, and recovery time among the three groups. Conclusion A dose of 0.3 mg/kg rocuronium may provide optimal intubating conditions without delayed recovery in 5% sevoflurane anaesthesia with fentanyl in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Clinical trials registry number NCT02467595.