Guidelines on muscle relaxants and reversal in anaesthesia

OBJECTIVES

To provide an update to the 1999 French guidelines on "Muscle relaxants and reversal in anaesthesia", a consensus committee of sixteen experts was convened. A formal policy of declaration and monitoring of conflicts of interest (COI) was developed at the outset of the process and enforced throughout. The entire guidelines process was conducted independently of any industrial funding (i.e. pharmaceutical, medical devices). The authors were required to follow the rules of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE®) system to assess the quality of the evidence on which the recommendations were based. The potential drawbacks of making strong recommendations based on low-quality evidence were stressed. Few of the recommendations remained ungraded.

METHODS

The panel focused on eight questions: (1) In the absence of difficult mask ventilation criteria, is it necessary to check the possibility of ventilation via a facemask before muscle relaxant injection? Is it necessary to use muscle relaxants to facilitate facemask ventilation? (2) Is the use of muscle relaxants necessary to facilitate tracheal intubation? (3) Is the use of muscle relaxants necessary to facilitate the insertion of a supraglottic device and management of related complications? (4) Is it necessary to monitor neuromuscular blockade for airway management? (5) Is the use of muscle relaxants necessary to facilitate interventional procedures, and if so, which procedures? (6) Is intraoperative monitoring of neuromuscular blockade necessary? (7) What are the strategies for preventing and treating residual neuromuscular blockade? (8) What are the indications and precautions for use of both muscle relaxants and reversal agents in special populations (e.g. electroconvulsive therapy, obese patients, children, neuromuscular diseases, renal/hepatic failure, elderly patients)? All questions were formulated using the Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome (PICO) model for clinical questions and evidence profiles were generated. The results of the literature analysis and the recommendations were then assessed using the GRADE® system.

RESULTS

The summaries prepared by the SFAR Guideline panel resulted in thirty-one recommendations on muscle relaxants and reversal agents in anaesthesia. Of these recommendations, eleven have a high level of evidence (GRADE 1±) while twenty have a low level of evidence (GRADE 2±). No recommendations could be provided using the GRADE® system for five of the questions, and for two of these questions expert opinions were given. After two rounds of discussion and an amendment, a strong agreement was reached for all the recommendations.

CONCLUSION

Substantial agreement exists among experts regarding many strong recommendations for the improvement of practice concerning the use of muscle relaxants and reversal agents during anaesthesia. In particular, the French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (SFAR) recommends the use of a device to monitor neuromuscular blockade throughout anaesthesia.

Hyperventilation and electroconvulsive therapy: A literature review

BACKGROUND

Hyperventilation has been proposed as an augmentation strategy in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in accordance with its proconvulsant effect.

OBJECTIVE

This study reviews the existing literature on the application of hyperventilation in ECT, its efficacy, and tolerance.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed in PubMed and EMBASE databases. Search terms ('electroconvulsive therapy' and 'hyperventilation', 'ventilation', 'hyperoxygenation', 'hyperoxia', 'hypocapnia') were used to retrieve works from 1966 to June 2016. Works that described hyperventilation manoeuvres in ECT settings and their clinical repercussion were included in the review.

RESULTS

A total of 17 observational and experimental studies were selected. An important heterogeneity in study designs, samples and ECT conditions, was detected. Findings support a positive influence of hyperventilation on seizure duration, which is the main study variable across different works. Effects of hyperventilation on seizure threshold and quality parameters have been less thoroughly studied. Systematic recording of clinical outcomes and adverse effects of hyperventilation is uncommon.

CONCLUSIONS

The literature suggests that hyperventilation may be an effective and safe technique to enhance ECT, but many aspects remain to be studied. Further investigations, especially controlled clinical trials, are necessary and should result in a specific and reliable hyperventilation protocol for ECT settings.

General Anaesthesia Protocols for Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy: Retrospective analysis of 504 sessions over a five-year period at a tertiary care hospital in Oman

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to review general anaesthesia protocols for patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at a tertiary care hospital in Oman, particularly with regards to clinical profile, potential drug interactions and patient outcomes.

METHODS

This retrospective study took place at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman. The electronic medical records of patients undergoing ECT at SQUH between January 2010 and December 2014 were reviewed for demographic characteristics and therapy details.

RESULTS

A total of 504 modified ECT sessions were performed on 57 patients during the study period. All of the patients underwent a uniform general anaesthetic regimen consisting of propofol and succinylcholine; however, they received different doses between sessions, as determined by the treating anaesthesiologist. Variations in drug doses between sessions in the same patient could not be attributed to any particular factor. Self-limiting tachycardia and hypertension were periprocedural complications noted among all patients. One patient developed aspiration pneumonitis (1.8%).

CONCLUSION

All patients undergoing ECT received a general anaesthetic regimen including propofol and succinylcholine. However, the interplay of anaesthetic drugs with ECT efficacy could not be established due to a lack of comprehensive data, particularly with respect to seizure duration. In addition, the impact of concurrent antipsychotic therapy on anaesthetic dose and subsequent complications could not be determined.

Rocuronium-sugammadex for electroconvulsive therapy management in neuroleptic malignant syndrome: A case report

Neuroleptics are a group of drugs widely used in the treatment of psychotic symptoms. Among their adverse effects is the ability to trigger a neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). The diagnosis of NMS is determined by exclusion, and its initial therapeutic management should be the withdrawal of neuroleptics, the administration of benzodiazepines, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). ECT is an effective treatment in these patients, and in those cases with a poor response to treatment with antipsychotic drugs. A review is presented on the treatment options and anaesthetic implications of ECT used to handle a patient diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in the context of NMS.

Safety and Efficacy of Sugammadex for Neuromuscular Blockade Reversal

Since its first human use in 2005, the γ-cyclodextrin sugammadex (Org 25969) has had the potential to become the reversal agent of choice, for rocuronium- or vecuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade. Sugammadex binds to the aminosteroid neuromuscular blocker, encapsulating it and extracting it from the neuromuscular junction, effectively ceasing activity and allowing neuromuscular transmission to recover rapidly. Phases I–III and subsequent trials have found sugammadex to be safe and effective in a wide range of doses and for the reversal of a range of depth of muscle relaxation in healthy volunteers and a variety of disease states. Sugammadex use may allow refinement of anesthetic practice and improvement in surgical conditions, through the maintenance of deep neuromuscular blockade right to the end of surgery, with subsequent rapid reversal. Debate remains about the use of sugammadex in the treatment of rocuronium anaphylaxis and airway emergencies. The high price of sugammadex currently prohibits its routine use, but if the price falls, after expiry of its patent, it may become cost-effective as a readily available agent in certain specific clinical situations. Serious adverse reactions have occurred in less than 1% of patients and are most commonly because of hypersensitivity. No deaths have been reported, but caution is advised in neonates, pediatrics, and pregnancy where data are lacking.