pancuronium

English

Chemical structure of pancuronium

Etymology

From p(iperidine) +‎ an(drostane) +‎ -curonium (“neuromuscular blocking agent”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpæŋ.kjʊˈɹəʊ.ni.əm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌpæŋ.kjəˈɹoʊ.ni.əm/
• Rhymes: -əʊniəm

Noun

pancuronium (uncountable)

1. (pharmacology) A synthetic steroid which is used as a neuromuscular blocking agent.
   • 2001, Michael P. Eaton, Peter L. Bailey, “Chapter 10: Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Anesthetics”, in Fawzy G. Estafanous, Paul G. Barash, J. G. Reves, editors, Cardiac Anesthesia: Principles and Clinical Practice, 2nd edition, page 305:

     Pancuronium bromide has been used frequently for muscle relaxation during cardiac anesthesia and has been reported to provide superior hemodynamics compared with vecuronium (171) or with metocurine or metocurine-pancuronium combinations.

   • 2007 March 2, Adam Liptak, “Florida Panel Urges Steps for Painless Executions”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     The second chemical is pancuronium bromide, a relative of curare.

   • 2009, Charles J. Coté, Jerrold Lerma, Robert M. Ward, Ralph A. Lugo, Nishan Goudzougian, “Chapter 6: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacology of Drugs Used in Children”, in Charles J. Coté, Jerrold Lerman, I. David Todres, editors, A Practice of Anesthesia for Infants and Children, page 131:

     The only long-acting relaxant that is still used in some institutions is pancuronium.

Derived terms

• pancuronium bromide

References

• “pancuronium”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “pancuronium”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.