Effect of the alveolar recruitment maneuver during laparoscopic colorectal surgery on postoperative pulmonary complications: A randomized controlled trial.

Intraoperative lung-protective ventilation, including low tidal volume and positive end-expiratory pressure, reduces postoperative pulmonary complications. However, the effect and specific alveolar recruitment maneuver method are controversial. We investigated whether the intraoperative intermittent recruitment maneuver further reduced postoperative pulmonary complications while using a lung-protective ventilation strategy. Adult patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery were randomly allocated to the recruitment or control groups. Intraoperative ventilation was adjusted to maintain a tidal volume of 6-8 mL kg-1 and positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cmH2O in both groups. The alveolar recruitment maneuver was applied at three time points (at the start and end of the pneumoperitoneum, and immediately before extubation) by maintaining a continuous pressure of 30 cmH2O for 30 s in the recruitment group. Clinical and radiological evidence of postoperative pulmonary complications was investigated within 7 days postoperatively. A total of 125 patients were included in the analysis. The overall incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications was not significantly different between the recruitment and control groups (28.1% vs. 31.1%, P = 0.711), while the mean ±â€…standard deviation intraoperative peak inspiratory pressure was significantly lower in the recruitment group (10.7 ±â€…3.2 vs. 13.5 ±â€…3.0 cmH2O at the time of CO2 gas-out, P < 0.001; 9.8 ±â€…2.3 vs. 12.5 ±â€…3.0 cmH2O at the time of recovery, P < 0.001). The alveolar recruitment maneuver with a pressure of 30 cmH2O for 30 s did not further reduce postoperative pulmonary complications when a low tidal volume and 5 cmH2O positive end-expiratory pressure were applied to patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery and was not associated with any significant adverse events. However, the alveolar recruitment maneuver significantly reduced intraoperative peak inspiratory pressure. Further study is needed to validate the beneficial effect of the alveolar recruitment maneuver in patients at increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03681236).

Effect of patient-controlled analgesia on development of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing microvascular decompression: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) occurs frequently after microvascular decompression (MVD). Fentanyl, an opioid, is strongly related to the development of PONV, and ketorolac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, has been approved for postoperative pain management. However, how ketorolac-based patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) causes PONV or how its efficacy differs from that of fentanyl-based PCA after MVD is unclear. In this study, the authors compared ketorolac-based with fentanyl-based PCA in terms of the incidence and severity of PONV and analgesia after MVD. METHODS: This prospective, double-blind, single-center, randomized controlled trial conducted from December 2021 to February 2023 included patients with MVD who were randomly allocated to the ketorolac- or fentanyl-based PCA group postoperatively. The incidence (primary outcome) and severity of PONV and rescue antiemetic requirements were determined during the first 48 hours postoperatively. Additionally, postoperative pain scores, rescue analgesic requirement, PCA usage, and satisfaction scores were assessed during the study period. PONV severity and postoperative pain scores were assessed using an 11-point numeric rating scale (0 = none, 10 = extremely). Satisfaction scores for PONV and pain were determined (0 = very dissatisfied, 10 = very satisfied). Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Continuous variables were analyzed using the Student t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test based on normal distribution. RESULTS: Of 185 screened patients, 91 were excluded based on predetermined exclusion criteria; 87 patients (43 in the ketorolac group and 44 in the fentanyl group) were analyzed and showed no significant differences in demographic data between groups. PONV incidence (48.8% vs 79.5%, p = 0.003) and severity (p = 0.004) were lower in the ketorolac-based PCA group than in the fentanyl-based PCA group. In the ketorolac group, there was a significant reduction in rescue antiemetic requirements compared with the fentanyl group (p = 0.049). The number of discontinuations was lower in the ketorolac-based PCA group than in the fentanyl-based PCA group (p = 0.001), whereas no significant differences in postoperative pain were found between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with MVD, ketorolac-based PCA resulted in a decrease in PONV incidence and severity compared with fentanyl-based PCA, with analgesic effects similar to those of fentanyl-based PCA. This study provides clinical evidence that ketorolac-based PCA may be a valid alternative to fentanyl-based PCA in postoperative care.