Sugammadex is associated with shorter hospital length of stay after open lobectomy for lung cancer: a retrospective observational study

Postoperative Gastrointestinal Dysfunction After Neuromuscular Blockade Reversal With Sugammadex Versus Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (POGD) commonly occurs following gastrointestinal (GI) surgery and is associated with specific anesthetic agents. Cholinesterase inhibitors employed for reversing neuromuscular blockade have been implicated in development of POGD. Sugammadex, a novel reversal agent, is linked with reduced POGD. However, there is a lack of comprehensive comparative review between these agents regarding their impact on POGD following GI surgery. This study aims to systematically review the effects of sugammadex on POGD compared to cholinesterase inhibitors following GI surgery.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched as of July 2022 to identify articles comparing sugammadex with cholinesterase inhibitors in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery, specifically in relation to POGD. Secondary endpoints included length of hospital stay, readmission rates, pulmonary complications, and postoperative morbidity.

RESULTS

From 198 citations, 2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 3 retrospective cohorts with 717 patients receiving sugammadex and 812 patients receiving cholinesterase inhibitors were included. Significantly lower rates of prolonged postoperative ileus (OR .44, 95% CI .25-.77, P < .05, I2 = 56%, low certainty evidence) was observed with sugammadex. No significant difference in any other outcome was observed. Narrative review of readmission data demonstrated no significant difference.

CONCLUSION

The use of sugammadex following gastrointestinal surgery is associated with significantly lower rates of prolonged postoperative ileus compared to cholinesterase inhibitors. However, these do not translate into a significant reduction in length of stay, morbidity, or postoperative nausea and vomiting. Results are limited by the numer of studies included and missing data, more robust RCTs are needed before recommendations can be made.

Decurarization After Thoracic Anesthesia using sugammadex compared to neostigmine (DATA trial): a multicenter randomized double-blinded controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Thoracic surgery is a high-risk surgery especially for the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Postoperative residual paralysis has been shown to be a risk factor for pulmonary complications. Nevertheless, there are few data in the literature concerning the use of neuromuscular blocking agent antagonists in patients undergoing lung surgery.

METHODS

Seventy patients were randomized in three Italian centers to receive sugammadex or neostigmine at the end of thoracic surgery according to the depth of the residual neuromuscular block. The primary outcome was the time from reversal administration to a train-of-four ratio (TOFR) of 0.9. Secondary outcomes were the time to TOFR of 1.0, to extubation, to postanesthesia unit (PACU) discharge, postoperative complications until 30 days after surgery, and length of hospital stay.

RESULTS

Median time to recovery to a TOFR of 0.9 was significantly shorter in the sugammadex group compared to the neostigmine one (88 vs. 278 s - P < 0.001). The percentage of patients who recovered to a TOFR of 0.9 within 5 min from reversal administration was 94.4% and 58.8% in the sugammadex and neostigmine groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The time to extubation, but not the PACU stay time, was significantly shorter in the sugammadex group. No differences were found between the study groups as regards postoperative complications and length of hospital stay. The superiority of sugammadex in shortening the recovery time was confirmed for both deep/moderate and shallow/minimal neuromuscular block.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients undergoing thoracic surgery, sugammadex ensures a faster recovery from the neuromuscular block and earlier extubation compared to neostigmine.

The Impact of Rocuronium and Sugammadex on Length of Stay in Patients Undergoing Open Spine Surgery: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), an all-encompassing perioperative care approach, has been demonstrated to enhance surgical results, mitigate postoperative issues, and decrease the length of hospital stay (LOS) in diverse surgical specialties. In this retrospective study, our objective was to examine the influence of muscle relaxant selection on LOS and perioperative results in adult patients undergoing open spine surgery. Specifically, we compared 201 patients who received cisatracurium and neostigmine with 201 patients who received rocuronium and sugammadex, after 1:1 propensity score matching. The utilization of the rocuronium and sugammadex combination in anesthesia for open spinal surgery did not lead to a reduction in the LOS but was associated with a decreased incidence of postoperative chest radiographic abnormalities, including infiltration, consolidation, atelectasis, or pneumonia (p = 0.027). In our secondary analysis, multivariate analysis revealed multiple determinants influencing the prolonged LOS (>7 days) during open spine surgery. Bispectral index-guided anesthesia emerged as a protective factor, while variables such as excessive intraoperative blood loss and fluid administration as well as postoperative chest radiographic abnormalities independently contributed to prolonged LOS.

Analysis of the association of sugammadex with the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing abdominal surgery: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Sugammadex is a newer medication used for rapid and reliable reversal of neuromuscular blockade. This study evaluated whether sugammadex could reduce the length of postoperative hospital stay in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

METHODS

This single center retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent major abdominal surgery between January 2015 and October 2019. Patients were randomized according to reversal with sugammadex or spontaneous recovery. The primary outcome was length of postoperative hospital stay. The secondary outcomes were length of post-anesthetic care unit (PACU) stay, postoperative ambulation time, time-to-first-defecation, and incidence of pulmonary complications. After 1:1 propensity score matching, univariate and multiple linear regression analyses estimated the differences in outcomes.

RESULTS

Of the 1614 patients, 517 received sugammadex and 645 spontaneously recovered. After adjusting for potential confounders, non-linear relationship was detected between administration of sugammadex and the length of postoperative hospital stay (β = 0.29 95% confidence interval {CI}: [- 1.13, - 0.54], P = 0.4912). However, it was associated with shorter PACU stay (β = - 20.30 95% CI: [- 24.48, - 17.11], P < 0.0001), shorter time to postoperative ambulation movement (β = - 0.43 95% CI: [- 0.62, - 0.23], P < 0.0001), and reduced time-to-first-defecation (β = - 2.25 95% CI: [- 0.45, - 0.05], P = 0.0129), when compared to the spontaneously recovered group. The incidence of pneumonia in the sugammadex group was significantly lower than that in the spontaneously recovered group (18.6% [44/237] vs. 39.2% [93/237] P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Neuromuscular blockade reversal with sugammadex after abdominal surgery demonstrated an excellent recovery profile and was associated with decreased risk of pneumonia, although it did not affect the length of postoperative hospital stay.

Sugammadex for reversing neuromuscular blockages after lung surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

This study determined whether sugammadex was associated with a lower risk of postoperative pulmonary complications and improved outcomes in lung surgeries.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from January 2000 to March 2022. The characteristics of lung surgeries using sugammadex treatment compared with control drugs and postoperative outcomes were retrieved. The primary outcome was estimated through a pooled odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) was identified using a random-effects model.

RESULTS

From 465 citations, 7 studies with 453 patients receiving sugammadex and 452 patients receiving a control were included. The risk of postoperative pulmonary complication (PPCs) was lower in the sugammadex group than in the control group. Also, it showed that the effect of sugammadex on PPCs in the subgroup analysis was significantly assessed on the basis of atelectasis or non-atelectasis. Furthermore, subgroup analysis based on the relationship between high body mass index (BMI) and PPCs also showed that sugammadex had less occurrence in both the high BMI (defined as BMI ≥ 25) and low BMI groups. No difference in length of hospital stay (LOS) between the two groups was observed.

CONCLUSION

This study observed that although reversing neuromuscular blockages with sugammadex in patients undergoing thoracic surgery recorded fewer PPCs and shorter extubation periods than conventional reversal agents, no difference in LOS, postanaesthesia care unit (PACU) stay length and chest tube insertion duration in both groups was observed.

Analgesic and Anesthetic Efficacy of Rocuronium/Sugammadex in Otorhinolaryngologic Surgery: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

The use of rocuronium/sugammadex in otorhinolaryngologic surgery improves intubation conditions and surgical rating scales. This study primarily aimed to evaluate the effect of the combination of rocuronium and sugammadex on intraoperative anesthetic consumption. The secondary outcomes were the intraoperative and postoperative morphine milligram equivalent (MME) consumption, duration of intraoperative hypertension, extubation time, incidence of delayed extubation and postoperative nausea and vomiting, pain score, and length of stay. A total of 2848 patients underwent otorhinolaryngologic surgery at a tertiary medical center in southern Taiwan. After applying the exclusion criteria, 2648 of these cases were included, with 167 and 2481 in the rocuronium/sugammadex and cisatracurium/neostigmine groups, respectively. To reduce potential bias, 119 patients in each group were matched by propensity scores for sex, age, body weight, and type of surgery. We found that the rocuronium/sugammadex group was associated with significant preservation of the intraoperative sevoflurane and MME consumption, with reductions of 14.2% (p = 0.009) and 11.8% (p = 0.035), respectively. The use of the combination of rocuronium and sugammadex also significantly increased the dose of intraoperative labetalol (p = 0.002), although there was no significant difference in intraoperative hypertensive events between both groups. In conclusion, our results may encourage the use of the combination of rocuronium and sugammadex as part of volatile-sparing and opioid-sparing anesthesia in otorhinolaryngologic surgery.

Choice of neuromuscular block reversal agent to reduce postoperative pulmonary complications

The definition of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) is inconsistent in literature; however, PPCs include pulmonary abnormalities that adversely affect patient outcomes, such as respiratory failure, atelectasis, pneumonia, pleural effusion, and exacerbation of underlying lung conditions. Furthermore, although the incidence of PPCs varies according to its definition, surgery type, and patient population, they can lead to increased morbidity, mortality, duration of hospitalization, and medical costs; thus, efforts to identify and reduce the risk factors are important to improve patient outcomes. Among the risk factors for PPCs, residual neuromuscular block is a representative and preventable anesthesia-related risk factor that is affected by the choice of the reversal agent. However, it is not clear whether the chosen reversal agent, i.e., sugammadex, reduces PPCs better when compared to anticholinesterases. Additionally, the effects of the reversal agents on PPCs in high-risk patients, such as elderly patients, pediatric patients, those with end-stage renal disease, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, or those undergoing specific surgeries, are diverse. To reduce the PPCs associated with the use of neuromuscular blocking agents, it is important to confirm complete reversal of the neuromuscular block under neuromuscular monitoring. Additionally, efforts to reduce the incidence of PPCs through interdisciplinary communication are required.