Why Succinylcholine Causes Apnoea?

Suxamethonium (succinylcholine) apnoea occurs when a patient has been given the muscle relaxant suxamethonium, but does not have the enzymes to metabolise it. Thus they remain paralysed for an increased length of time and cannot breathe adequately at the end of an anaesthetic.

What is succinylcholine apnea?

Suxamethonium Apnoea (Succinlycholine. or Scoline Apnoea) (SA) What is it? Suxamethonium (succinylcholine) is a drug used in anaesthesia to produce relaxation of the muscles (paralysis). It is normally broken down very rapidly in the body by a substance in the blood, an enzyme called plasma cholinesterase.

What is the mechanism of action of succinylcholine?

Mechanism of Action

A depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent, succinylcholine adheres with post-synaptic cholinergic receptors of the motor endplate, inducing continuous disruption that results in transient fasciculations or involuntary muscle contractions and subsequent skeletal muscle paralysis.