Monitoring a neuromuscular blockade status

A method of determining a muscle response to an electro-stimulation of the muscle in a patient, the method comprising:

• determining the end of a heartbeat of the patient;
• performing the electro-stimulation of the muscle by causing a generation of a first electro-stimulation pulse and, subsequently, one or more further electro-stimulation pulses, the first electro-stimulation pulse being generated substantially at the end of the heartbeat;
• determining the muscle response in the form of a pressure wave representing how pressure varies over time in a pressure cuff as a muscle reaction to the electro-stimulation, the pressure wave comprising first and further pressure pulses induced by the first and further electro-stimulation pulses respectively;
• determining a first characteristic of the first pressure pulse, the first characteristic of the first pressure pulse being indicative of the shape of the upward slope of the first pressure pulse;
• and
• for at least some of the further pressure pulses:
• determining a first characteristic of the further pressure pulse, the first characteristic of the further pressure pulse being indicative of the shape of the upward slope of the further pressure pulse;
• determining a deviation between the first characteristic of the further pressure pulse and the first characteristic of the first pressure pulse;
• determining if the deviation exceeds a deviation threshold, and,
• in the event the deviation does not exceed the deviation threshold, adjusting the further pressure pulse by assuming that the time until peak of the further pressure pulse is measured correctly and that the shape of its upward slope can be described by the first characteristic of the first pressure pulse.