ABSTRACT
The term 'muscle relaxant' is slightly misleading and may conjure up the impression that these agents are in some way interfering with the intrinsic mechanism of muscular contraction. More in-depth analysis of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) can be found in any good physiology book as it is useful to keep it in mind when considering how neuromuscular blocking drugs work. The NMJ is the junction between the terminal button of a motor neurone and the muscle fibre it innervates. The myelinated motor neuron looses its myelin sheath and forms a terminal button. Suxamethonium is the only depolarising neuromuscular blocking drug in routine use. Being able to monitor the degree of paralysis is vital when using neuromuscular blocking agents. There are several different methods used to measure neuromuscular blockade but by far the most common is visual observation of the response produced by electrical stimulation using a nerve stimulator.
