Low-Dose Rocuronium Maintenance During Spine Surgery With Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring

Overview

This randomized controlled trial will compare two strategies for rocuronium use during general anesthesia for spine surgery with intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. Participants undergoing spine surgery under general anesthesia with motor evoked potential and/or somatosensory evoked potential monitoring will be randomized to either low-dose rocuronium maintenance targeting a train-of-four ratio of 0.60 to less than 0.90, or no rocuronium maintenance after induction. The main objective is to compare the effects of these two strategies on the quality of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, especially motor evoked potential signals. Secondary objectives include comparing surgical field conditions, unwanted patient movement, emergence and extubation times, early respiratory events, and new postoperative neurological deficits. The study will be conducted at the Center for Anesthesia and Surgical Intensive Care, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. The planned sample size is 62 participants, with 31 participants in each group.

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring is commonly used during complex spine surgery to help detect early neurological injury. Motor evoked potentials are particularly sensitive to neuromuscular blockade. Avoiding maintenance neuromuscular blockade may improve motor evoked potential signal quality, but may increase the risk of unwanted patient movement and suboptimal surgical field conditions. Conversely, low-dose rocuronium maintenance may improve surgical conditions, but may reduce motor evoked potential amplitude if neuromuscular blockade is excessive. This trial will evaluate whether low-dose rocuronium maintenance, titrated by quantitative neuromuscular monitoring, can preserve intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring quality while improving surgical field conditions compared with discontinuation of rocuronium after induction. All participants will receive standardized total intravenous anesthesia with propofol-based maintenance, bispectral index monitoring, quantitative train-of-four monitoring, and intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. Rocuronium will be administered for tracheal intubation in both groups. In the low-dose maintenance group, rocuronium will be titrated to maintain a train-of-four ratio from 0.60 to less than 0.90. In the no-maintenance group, no additional rocuronium will be given after induction unless predefined safety rescue is required. The primary outcome will be intraoperative motor evoked potential signal quality, including mean motor evoked potential amplitude. Secondary outcomes will include successful motor evoked potential recording, motor evoked potential warning events, somatosensory evoked potential stability, surgical field condition, unwanted patient movement, time to emergence, time to extubation, early postoperative respiratory events, and new postoperative neurological deficits.