^a There is a large variability in the response to all relaxants, especially at the extremes of age and with profound illness. Therefore, all patients should be carefully monitored as described in the text. Doses shown here are intended for intravenous administration in adult patients.

^b An ED₉₅ dose of a relaxant provides adequate surgical relaxation with nitrous oxide–opioid anesthesia.

^c These are customary intubating doses and not all equipotent. Neuromuscular blockade is potentiated by volatile anesthetics. For nondepolarizing agents, the intubating dose can be approximately double of the ED₉₅.

^d These times reflect the use of customary intubating doses and may be substantially altered by the depth of anesthesia. For a rapid sequence induction with nondepolarizing agents, onset time can be shortened by administering a priming dose 3 to 5 minutes before the full dose. Alternatively, a dose of a nondepolarizing agent four times higher than the ED₉₅ dose can be used.

^e Maintenance bolus doses to be given when the train-of-four count reaches 2 to 3 are generally 20% to 25% of the initial bolus dose.

^f Continuous infusion should be initiated only after early evidence of spontaneous recovery from the initial bolus dose.

^a Histamine release is dose and rate dependent and, therefore, less pronounced if drugs are injected slowly.