Rapid Sequence Intubation With Rocuronium in Elderly Patients

Overview

With the prolongation of life expectancy, the frequency of surgical intervention and anesthesia increases in elderly patients. The rapid Sequence Intubation(RSI) technique is preferred in patients with aspiration risk and who will undergo general anesthesia, especially in the pandemic period, to reduce or eliminate the aerosolization of respiratory secretions. The use of rocuronium at a dose of 1 mg/kg in RSI also causes prolongation of the recovery of neuromuscular block. This study aimed to compare the intubation conditions and train-of-four count(TOFC) 1-2 times of the rocuronium doses with priming according to ideal body weight(IBW), corrected body weight(CBW), and total body weight(TBW) in RSI of patients aged \>65 years.

The number of elderly patients (\>65 y) increases, and a large proportion of these patients will require surgery and anesthesia at some point. Changes in the neuromuscular junction, organ systems, and cardiac output that occur with aging cause changes in response to neuromuscular blockers. One of the reasons for rapid sequence intubation(RSI) preference is to reduce or eliminate aerosolization of respiratory secretions during general anesthesia and airway manipulation in surgical cases during the pandemic period. Guidelines regarding this subject recommend securing the airway quickly with RSI, and it is reported that aerosol production would decrease with this method. This study aimed to compare the intubation conditions and the train-of-four count (TOFC) 1 and 2 response times of the patients aged 65 and above, who were administered rocuronium at a priming dose (0.06 mg/kg) according to ideal body weight(IBW), corrected body weight(CBW), and total body weight (TBW) before induction, followed by administration of 0.94 mg/kg rocuronium 3 minutes after the anesthesia induction and intubated 45 seconds later.