The use of sugammadex in a patient with myasthenia gravis

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis, affecting neuromuscular transmission, leads to a large variability in sensitivity to depolarising and non-depolarising neuromuscular blocking drugs. We report the successful use of the modified mu-cyclodextrin sugammadex in a myasthenic patient to reverse a rocuronium-induced deep level of neuromuscular block. After spontaneous neuromuscular recovery of T2 (second twitch of the train-of-four series), we administered 2 mg.kg(-1) of sugammadex intravenously, reversing neuromuscular blockade to a train-of-four ratio (T4/T1) > 90% within 210 s. Sugammadex, in combination with objective neuromuscular monitoring, can be used to reverse rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade in patients with myasthenia gravis, thereby avoiding the need for reversal with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.