Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Neuromuscular Blockade: What Are the Recommendations in the USA and Other Countries?

Abstract

Purpose of Review: This review addresses various societal guidelines, standards, and consensus statements regarding optimal neuromuscular blockade management. We discuss the historical evolution of neuromuscular management as a means of identifying possible future trends. Recent Findings: While a recent international panel of experts has called for abandoning clinical assessment and subjective evaluation using a peripheral nerve stimulator in favor of adopting quantitative monitoring, few anesthesia societies mandate similar practices at the moment. Summary: The current status of neuromuscular monitoring in the world is still variable and unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, a positive trend can be observed in the anesthesia community to adopt and learn this neglected technique. The development of user-friendly monitoring devices should also help this process, but anesthesia national societies still need to do a lot to replace outdated and substandard practices.