Comparison Neuromuscular Blockade Monitors

Brief Summary

The overall objective of this research is to evaluate different laboratory-built and commercially available sensors used to measure the effects of neuromuscular blocking drugs on neuromuscular function during surgery, by measuring evoked thumb twitch response to ulnar nerve stimulation (also known as "twitch monitoring"). The specific aim is to compare mechanomyography, which is the "gold standard" laboratory measurement to assess neuromuscular blockade, to the sensors used in commercially available neuromuscular blockade monitors, such as acceleromyography and electromyography. The study endpoints are the train-of-four count (TOFC), the ratio of the height of the 4th twitch to the height of the 1st twitch (train-of-four ratio, TOFR), and the post tetanic count (PTC). The mechanomyography devices have been constructed in our laboratory and are not commercially available.