Patients undergoing general anesthesia will have an endotracheal tube inserted. Adequate muscle strength recovery in the recovery room is crucial to ensure before extubation. One of the criteria we use to determine the recovery of muscle strength post-use of muscle relaxants in conditions without specific monitoring devices is the ability to maintain body oxygen levels without oxygen assistance for 3 minutes. This study aims to determine the muscle strength value in the recovery room using extubation strategies without muscle strength monitoring compared to extubation strategies with muscle strength monitoring.
The availability of Train-of-Four (TOF) monitoring devices is not yet widespread in some clinical practices. Practitioners are also often unaware of the high incidence of residual paralysis and the associated risks in their daily practice. However, residual paralysis increases the occurrence of airway obstruction, hypoxemia, and postoperative pulmonary complications. Therefore, clinical parameters for extubation criteria must ensure the absence of residual paralysis. Administering oxygen in the ambient air can identify hypoventilation conditions. Therefore, patients who can maintain oxygen saturation levels \> 95% can be considered not experiencing hypoventilation. The author aims to validate ventilation adequacy as an additional clinical parameter for extubation criteria without TOF monitoring to ensure the absence of residual paralysis in the recovery room. This study is planned using a randomized controlled trial method with observer blinding. The study consists of 3 comparisons based on the type of volatile anesthetic gas agent and neuromuscular blockade agent. This research will involve 240 subjects aged 18-60 years undergoing elective surgery under intubation general anesthesia. Subjects will be divided into two parallel treatment groups randomly stratified by the type of surgery to observe the incidence rate of residual paralysis in the recovery room. Group A will receive extubation strategy without additional oxygen supplementation, while Group B will use extubation strategy with quantitative TOF monitoring. Group A will receive optimal reversal strategy using neostigmine based on clinical criteria such as tidal volume adequacy and the time of last administration of the neuromuscular blockade agent. Then, patients will be assessed 15 minutes after reversal for the ability to maintain oxygen saturation levels \> 95% without oxygen supplementation. If they meet these criteria, patients will then be extubated. Group B will receive optimal reversal strategy using neostigmine based on TOF values. If the measured TOF value is ≥0.90, patients can be extubated while awake. Upon arrival in the recovery room, the TOF values of both groups will be measured and compared as the outcome of this study. The results of this study are expected to provide recommendations for extubation strategies based on clinical parameters to clinicians with limited access to TOF monitoring devices. With the implementation of this change in extubation strategy, unexpected post-anesthesia events may be reduced.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
240
Only group B will receive reversal strategy based on the presence of TOF monitoring device prior to extubation. If they meet the criteria, patients will then be extubated.
For subjects in Group A, the first researcher calculated the time of the last administration of the muscle relaxant and the subject's spontaneous breathing efforts. Neostigmine was administered based on the reversal protocol. For subjects in the TOF monitoring group (Group B), the first researcher attached the TOF monitoring device. After it was attached and turned on, TOF stimulation was provided without calibration, with a stimulation intensity of 50 mA. Measurements were taken in a 12-second cycle mode. Neostigmine was administered according to the measured TOF value at the start of skin/muscle closure as the protocol.
After surgery was completed and the TOF ratio was ≥ 0.90, the TOF device was removed, and extubation was performed in Group B. In Group A, after a minimum of 15 minutes following reversal, patients received only ambient air without supplemental O2. Extubation was performed if the patient could maintain an SpO2 \> 95% for a minimum of 3 minutes. If within 15 minutes after reversal the patient did not meet the extubation criteria, the degree of blockade was reassessed, and a repeat dose of neostigmine and atropine was administered as needed. If there was suspicion of opioid-induced hypoventilation, naloxone was administered at 0.4-0.8 mcg intravenously.If the patient was unable to maintain oxygen saturation for the 3-minute duration, oxygen supplementation was reinstated, the degree of blockade was reassessed, and a repeat dose of neostigmine and atropine was administered as needed.
Upon arrival in the recovery room, all subjects were fitted with SpO2, EKG, NIBP monitors, and the TOF monitoring device. TOF values were measured by a second researcher who was unaware of the type of intervention. Measurements were taken twice sequential
Sardjito General Hospital
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Residual paralysis in recovery room
Residual paralysis in the recovery room was defined as a condition with a measured TOF ratio \< 0.90 upon arrival in the recovery room. TOF values were measured by a second researcher who was unaware of the type of intervention. Measurements were taken twice sequentially with a 12-second interval. The value used was the average of these two measurements. However, if the values differed by \>10%, two more measurements were taken using the same method. The value used was the average of the two closest values out of the four measurements.
Time frame: Up to 30 minutes in recovering room
Adverse events
Any adverse respiratory events such as upper airway obstruction, hypoxemia, respiratory distress, and reintubation; Severe allergic reaction
Time frame: Up to 30 minutes in recovering room
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