1. No conflicts of interest
Should we abandon succinylcholine and sodium pentothal in GA cesarean delivery?
Antti Väänänen, MD, Ph.D. SSAI diploma in obstetric anesthesia Helsinki University Central Hospital /Women’s hospital
No conflicts of interest

2. Sodium pentothal
Difficult to use, needs prior dilution, increasingly rarely used for other indications, may become difficult to procure, precipitates with other drugs easily
No benefit for the mother
Depth of sleep is not better
Higher haemodynamic responces to intubation
Not convincingly better than propofol for the child
Use in GA cesareans should be discontinued

3. Succinylcholine aka suxamethonium
Old molecule, widely replaced by other non-depolarizing agents, such as rocuronium in other indications
Holds its place in rapid sequence induction schemes
Rapid onset of action, rapid recovery
Has side effects such as myalgia, trismus, malignant hypertermia
Replacement by rocuronium is at the time still somewhat controversial
High doses needed to achieve similar intubation conditions
Placental transfer rate of high doses currently undetermined
Maybe too early to discard