For most of the last half century, the holy grail of neuromuscular pharmacologists has been to develop a drug or a technique that can replace succinylcholine as the benchmark for rapid onset of neuromuscular block and that has, at the very least, the potential to promptly reverse its residual effects. With the neuromuscular blocking agent rapacuro-nium, it was established that ultra-fast onset and a nondepolarizing mechanism of action were not mutually incompatible. Unfortunately, rapacuronium was unacceptable because of serious side-effects. Rocuronium 1.2 mg • kg~-1, followed by sugammadex in appropriate dosage, can also be made to mimic the onset-offset profile of succinylcholine. Thus, the end of the "Era of Succinylcholine" is being announced at regular intervals, most recently by Lee, who this year opined, "...it finally appears that suxamethonium can be retired. Suxamethonium has done its job and has seen its day!" Perhaps; however, to paraphrase Mark Twain, "rumours of succinylcholine's demise appear to be greatly exaggerated."
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