Impact of Anesthetic Choice (Sevoflurane Versus Desflurane) on Airway Reflex Recovery in the Context of Antagonized Neuromuscular Block
Condition: Airway Reflexes, Protective; Recovery After Neuromuscular Block; Anesthetic Recovery
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 4

Summary: 
      Protective airway reflexes may be impaired in the postoperative period, creating the
      potential for aspiration of gastric contents, even after a patient exhibits appropriate
      response to command. Because assessment of airway reflex recovery is not possible in an
      intubated patient, the clinician must make an empiric decision as to when a patient is safe
      to extubate, and choose a combination of techniques least likely to result in pharyngeal
      impairment. Adequacy of reversal of neuromuscular block by cholinesterase inhibitors (e.g.,
      neostigmine) is unpredictable, especially in the presence of profound paralysis, and tactile
      assessment of train-of four and sustained tetanus has shown poor correlation with objective
      assessments. Protective airway reflexes may also be impaired during early recovery by the
      anesthetics themselves, even when muscle relaxant has been avoided. In the absence of muscle
      relaxant the investigators previously demonstrated that patients receiving an anesthetic with
      higher tissue solubility, sevoflurane showed significantly greater impairment of swallowing
      up to 14 minutes after response to command compared to patients receiving an anesthetic with
      lower tissue solubility, desflurane. Therefore, we ask whether the combination of the more
      soluble anesthetic and the presence of neuromuscular block antagonized by neostigmine may
      create a multiplicative effect that might further prolong pharyngeal recovery. We plan to
      randomly assign 100 patients scheduled to undergo surgery with general anesthesia to a
      standardized anesthetic that includes 1) sevoflurane, rocuronium with 70 µg/kg neostigmine +
      14 µg/kg glycopyrrolate antagonism (group S); or 2) desflurane, rocuronium with 70 µg/kg
      neostigmine + 14 µg/kg glycopyrrolate antagonism (group D). Airway reflex recovery will be
      judged as adequate by the patient's ability to swallow 20 mL of water without coughing or
      drooling 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 60 minutes after response to command. Anesthetic (sevoflurane
      or desflurane) will be discontinued after administration of reversal agent and recovery to
      TOF (train-of-four) ratio of 0.7.
    


Intervention name(s): Sevoflurane; Desflurane; Rocuronium; Neostigmine; Glycopyrrolate
Intervention type(s): Drug; Drug; Drug; Drug; Drug
Intervention description(s): Protective airway reflexes will be tested, judged by subject's ability to swallow 20 mL water; Protective airway reflexes will be tested, judged by subject's ability to swallow 20 mL water
Intervention MeSH terms: Glycopyrrolate; Sevoflurane; Desflurane; Rocuronium; Neostigmine
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Reflex, Pharyngeal; Anesthetics, Inhalation