Sugammadex can rapidly reverse neuromuscular blockade and has several advantages over cholinesterase inhibitors. It is unclear, however, whether administration of sugammadex in the absence of intraoperative deep neuromuscular blockade has direct clinical benefits. The present study retrospectively assessed the ability of sugammadex to prevent post-operative respiratory adverse events in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery in the absence of routine deep neuromuscular blockade. The medical records of patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery from 2014 to 2018 in a tertiary care hospital were reviewed. Patients who underwent reversal of neuromuscular blockade with sugammadex or pyridostigmine were subjected to propensity score matching. To assess their relative effects on post-operative adverse respiratory events (defined as a composite of SpO2 < 94% in the post-anesthesia care unit, additional oxygen supplementation during ward transfer or stay, and emergency use of sugammadex in the post-anesthesia care unit), the incidence of these effects was compared in propensity score matched groups of patients treated with sugammadex or pyridostigmine. Of the 602 patients, 210 remained in each group after propensity score matching. The incidence of post-operative respiratory adverse events did not differ significantly in the two groups. These findings suggest that the unrestricted administration of sugammadex not preceded by intra-operative deep neuromuscular blockade does not have clinical benefits, when compared with pyridostigmine, in preventing post-operative respiratory adverse events.
Invited comment on Kanakala et al.: Comparative study of safety and outcomes of single-port access versus conventional laparoscopic colorectal surgery