What is Pancuronium bromide?
'''Pancuronium bromide''' (brand name '''Pavulon''') is an [[aminosteroid]] muscle relaxant [[medication]] called a [[muscle relaxant]]. It is used in [[medicine]] for many different reasons. It is also used in [[euthanasia]]. In the [[United States]], pancuronium bromide is used in [[execution]]s. It is one of three [[drug]]s that are given to [[prisoner]]s being executed by [[lethal injection]]. ==Action== Normally, the [[brain]] sends [[neurotransmitter|chemical signals]] to the [[muscle]]s to get them to work. Pancuronium bromide stops these signals from getting to the muscles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB01337 |title=Pancuronium |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=June 30, 2007 |website=DrugBank |publisher=Canadian Institutes of Health Research |access-date=April 7, 2016 }}</ref> Without signals from the brain telling them to work, the muscles cannot move. Because of this, a person who is given enough pancuronium bromide will be completely [[paralysis|paralyzed]] until the drug wears off. No muscle in their body will be able to move. A dose of pancuronium bromide takes about 3-6 minutes to paralyze a person. The drug's effects last for about 100 minutes. A healthy adult usually needs 120 to 180 [[minute]]s to get most of their muscle movement back. There are [[antidote]]s to pancuronium bromide that will help reverse the drug's effects more quickly.<ref name=rn>{{cite book |last1=Nagelhout |first1=John J. | last2=Plaus |first2=Karen L. |date=2014 |title=Nurse Anesthesia |url=https://archive.org/details/nurseanesthesia0000unse_r4a1 |edition=5th |publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences |pages=[https://archive.org/details/nurseanesthesia0000unse_r4a1/page/173 173]–174 |isbn=978-1455706129}}</ref> ===Breathing=== Pancuronium bromide paralyzes the [[breathing]] muscles along with all of the other muscles. This means that pancuronium bromide will stop a person from breathing.<ref name=rn/> In [[hospital]]s, a person who is given pancuronium bromide is then {{broken wikt link|i