Background: Long-term pulmonary complications have been reported after a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We hypothesized that a history of COVID-19 is associated with a measurable decrease in baseline respiratory system compliance in patients undergoing general anesthesia.
Methods: In this hospital registry study, we included adult patients undergoing general anesthesia between January 2020 and March 2022 at a tertiary health care network in Massachusetts. We excluded patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status >IV, laryngoscopic surgeries, and patients who arrived intubated. The primary exposure was a history of COVID-19. The primary outcome was baseline respiratory system compliance (mL/cmH 2 O). Effects of severity of infection, surges (Alpha 1 , Alpha 2 , Delta, and Omicron), patient demographics, and time between infection and assessment of compliance were investigated.
Results: A total of 19,921 patients were included. Approximately 1386 (7.0%) patients had a history of COVID-19. A history of COVID-19 at any time before surgery was associated with a measurably lower baseline respiratory system compliance (ratio of means adj = 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-0.97; P < .001; adjusted compliance difference: -1.6 mL/cmH 2 O). The association was more pronounced in patients with a severe form of COVID-19 (ratio of means adj = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90-0.99; P = .02, adjusted compliance difference: -2 mL/cmH 2 O). Alpha 1 , Alpha 2 , and Delta surges, but not Omicron, led to a lower baseline respiratory system compliance ( P < .001, P = .02, and P < .001). The Delta surge effect was magnified in Hispanic ethnicity ( P -for-interaction = 0.003; ratio of means adj = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74-0.93; P = .001; adjusted compliance difference: -4.6 mL/cmH 2 O).
Conclusions: A history of COVID-19 infection during Alpha 1 , Alpha 2 , and Delta surges was associated with a measurably lower baseline respiratory system compliance.
Background: Ketamine is an intravenous anesthetic that acts as a channel blocker on the N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor, a glutamate receptor subtype. MK-801 is the most potent compound among noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists. Ketamine induces loss of the righting reflex (LORR) in rodents, which is one of the indicators of unconsciousness, whereas high doses of MK-801 produce ataxia, but not LORR. In contrast, we previously reported that MK-801 combined with a low dose of the dopamine receptor antagonist haloperidol-induced LORR in mice. To assess a neurophysiologically distinct brain state and demonstrate unconsciousness, electroencephalograms (EEG) need to be examined together with LORR. Therefore, we herein investigated EEG changes after the systemic administration of MK-801 alone or in combination with haloperidol, and compared them with those induced by ketamine, the glutamate release inhibitor riluzole, and the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor agonist propofol.
Methods: All drugs were intraperitoneally administered to adult male ddY mice (n = 168). General anesthesia was evaluated based on the righting reflex test. Animals who exhibited no righting for more than 30 seconds were considered to have LORR. In a separate group of mice, EEG of the primary visual cortex was recorded before and after the administration of MK-801 (3.0 mg/kg) alone or in combination with haloperidol (0.2 mg/kg), ketamine (150 mg/kg), riluzole (30 mg/kg), or propofol (240 mg/kg). The waveforms recorded were analyzed using EEG power spectra and spectrograms.
Results: The high dose of MK-801 alone did not induce LORR, whereas MK-801 combined with haloperidol produced LORR in a dose-dependent manner. Ketamine, riluzole, and propofol also dose-dependently induced LORR. In the EEG study, MK-801 alone induced a significant increase in δ power, while MK-801 plus haloperidol exerted similar effects on not only δ, but also θ and α power during LORR, suggesting that increases in δ, θ, and α power were necessary for LORR. The results obtained on MK-801 plus haloperidol were similar to those on ketamine in the behavioral and EEG studies, except for an increase in γ power by ketamine during LORR. Propofol significantly increased δ, θ, α, and β power during LORR. However, the EEG results obtained using riluzole, which produced a unique pattern of lower amplitude activity spanning most frequencies, markedly differed from those with the other drugs.
Conclusions: This study revealed differences in EEG changes induced by various sedatives. The results obtained on MK-801 alone and MK-801 plus haloperidol suggest the importance of dopamine transmission in maintaining the righting reflex.
Background: Sugammadex is associated with fewer postoperative pulmonary complications than is neostigmine reversal of neuromuscular blockade. However, the Food and Drug Administration-approved package insert states that its use is "not recommended" in severe renal impairment, separately defined as creatinine clearance <30 mL/min. Recently, the formula for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was updated to remove the race variable. Compared to the prior formula, the new consensus equation lowers the estimated GFR for African American patients and raises it for everyone else. We sought to determine how this change could differently impact the use of sugammadex, and thus the rate of pulmonary complications, for both African American and non-African American patients.
Methods: We used Monte Carlo simulation models to estimate the difference in pulmonary complications that would be suffered by patients when the change in creatine clearance calculated from the estimated GFR (using the old race-based and new race-neutral Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formulas) crossed the 30 mL/min threshold, which would require a change in sugammadex or neostigmine use.
Results: We found that 0.22% (95% confidence interval 0.14%-0.36%) of African American patients' creatinine clearance would drop from above to below 30 mL/min making sugammadex not recommended and 0.19% (0.16%-0.22%) of non-African American patients would have creatinine clearance increase to >30 mL/min making sugammadex now recommended. Based on our model, we estimate that African American patients would suffer (count [95% confidence interval]) 3 [0.4-6] more pulmonary complications per 100,000 African American patients who received rocuronium or vecuronium through the change from sugammadex to neostigmine reversal to comply with labeling recommendations. Conversely, the same change in formulas would reduce the number of non-African American patients suffering pulmonary complications by 3 [2-4] per 100,000.
Conclusions: The recent change in GFR formulas may potentially be associated with an increase in postoperative pulmonary complications in African American patients and a decrease in postoperative pulmonary complications in non-African American patients through GFR-driven changes in sugammadex use.
Background: Racial and ethnic concordance between patients and health care providers increases patient satisfaction but has not been examined in obstetric anesthesia care. This study evaluated the association between racial and ethnic concordance and satisfaction with management of pain during cesarean delivery (PDCD).
Methods: This was a secondary analysis on a cohort of patients undergoing cesarean deliveries under neuraxial anesthesia that examined PDCD. The outcome was satisfaction, recorded within 48 hours after delivery using the survey question, "Overall, how satisfied are you with the anesthesia care during the C-section as it relates to pain management?" Using a 5-point Likert scale, satisfaction was defined with the answer "very satisfied." Participants were also asked, "If you have another C-section, would you want the same anesthesia team?" The exposure was racial and ethnic concordance between the patient and anesthesia team members (attending with a resident, nurse anesthetist, or fellow) categorized into full concordance, partial concordance, discordance, and missing. Risk factors for satisfaction were identified using a multivariable analysis.
Results: Among 403 participants, 305 (78.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 73.8-82.1) were "very satisfied," and 358 of 399 (89.7%; 95% CI, 86.3-92.5) "would want the same anesthesia team." Full concordance occurred in 18 (4.5%) cases, partial concordance in 117 (29.0%), discordance in 175 (43.4%), and missing in 93 (23.1%). Satisfaction rate was 88.9% for full concordance, 71.8% for partial concordance, 81.1% for discordance, and 78.5% for missing ( P value = .202). In the multivariable analysis, there was insufficient evidence for an association of concordance with satisfaction. Compared to full concordance, partial concordance was associated with a nonsignificant 57% (95% CI, -113 to 91) decrease in the odds of being satisfied, discordance with a 29% (95% CI, -251 to 85) decrease, and missing with a 39% (95% CI, -210 to 88) decrease. Risk factors for not being "very satisfied" were PDCD, anxiety disorders, pregnancy resulting from in vitro fertilization, intravenous medication administration, intrapartum cesarean with extension of labor epidural, having 3 anesthesia team members (instead of 2), and a higher intraoperative blood loss.
Conclusions: Our inability to identify an association between concordance and satisfaction is likely due to the high satisfaction rate in our cohort (78.2%), combined with low proportion of full concordance (4.5%). Addressing elements such as PDCD, anxiety, intravenous medication administration, and use of epidural anesthesia for cesarean delivery, and a better understanding of the interplay between concordance and satisfaction are warranted.