Rate of‘onset’ and‘offset’ of four non‐depolarising neuromuscular blocking drugs

Summary There is evidence that onset time and potency of non-depolarising neuromuscular blocking drugs are related. The relationship between onset time and rate of recovery has not been investigated. In this study, using the isolated forearm technique, the onset time of four different non-depolarising drugs have been compared with their recovery times. It has been demonstrated that there is a strong relationship between these parameters. It is proposed that the relationship between onset time and offset time suggests a common mechanism that influences both events and that this may also explain the relationship between potency and the rate of onset.