Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents after a priming dose of vecuronium.

A case is presented of a 16-year-old girl with ectodermal dysplasia for whom dental surgery under general anaesthesia was planned. Following a priming dose of vecuronium, and immediately after injection of sodium thiopentone (5 mg.kg-1) pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents occurred. It is hypothesized that, because of the rapid speed of onset of neuromuscular blocking agents on the laryngeal muscles, that partial laryngeal paralysis was present at the time of induction of anaesthesia and that this was responsible in part for the episode of pulmonary aspiration.