Intraoperative Complications, Mechanical Ventilation Complication, Postoperative Complications, Pulmonary Complication, Surgery
Conditions
Keywords
Postoperative Complications, Intraoperative Complications, Hypocapnia, Mechanical Ventilation
Brief summary
To gain a better understanding of the epidemiology of intraoperative hypocapnia, in particular the associations of intraoperative hypocapnia with patient demographics, ventilator characteristics, and perioperative complications we will perform an individual patient-level meta-analysis of two recent randomized clinical trials of intraoperative ventilation, the 'PROtective Ventilation using High versus LOw PEEP trial' (PROVHILO), and the 'Protective intraoperative ventilation with higher versus lower levels of positive end-expiratory pressure in obese patients trial' (PROBESE).
Detailed description
Lung-protective intraoperative ventilation (LPV) has the potential to improve the outcome of surgery patients through a reduction in postoperative pulmonary complications. Use of intraoperative ventilation strategies that use a low tidal volume could result in intraoperative hypercapnia. However, hypocapnia remains surprisingly common during intraoperative ventilation, possibly meaning that anesthesiologists continue to use high, if not too high respiratory rates or tidal volumes. Previous studies suggested associations between intraoperative derangement of end-tidal carbon dioxide (etCO2) and postoperative outcomes. Indeed, two studies in highly selected patient groups showed associations of intraoperative hypocapnia with prolonged length of hospital stay, in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy, and in patients undergoing hysterectomy. To gain a better understanding of the epidemiology of intraoperative hypocapnia, in particular the associations of intraoperative hypocapnia with patient demographics, ventilator characteristics, and perioperative complications we will perform an individual patient-level meta-analysis of two recent randomized clinical trials of intraoperative ventilation; PROVHILO and PROBESE.
Interventions
A patient is considered 'hypocapnic' if the etCO2 was \< 35 mm Hg at any point during surgery, from start of the study till end of the study and classified as 'without hypocapnia' otherwise. In case of a missing value immediately before extubation, we will use the values as reported in the last hour of surgery.
Sponsors
Study design
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
* Planned for major (abdominal) surgery. * At risk for postoperative pulmonary complications.
Exclusion criteria
* Planned thoracic surgery or neurosurgery. * Unscheduled surgery (i.e., urgent, or emergent surgeries) were excluded because these patients may have had metabolic abnormalities at the moment of surgery, i.e., metabolic acidosis, for which the anesthesiologist may have adjusted the intraoperative ventilator settings. This may have led to a 'compensatory' low etCO2. * Patients with etCO2 recordings are missing from the study databases.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications | Until day seven or hospital discharge, whichever comes first | Composite of predefined and collected postoperative pulmonary complications. Postoperative pulmonary complications included mild, moderate, and severe respiratory failure; acute respiratory distress syndrome; bronchospasm; new pulmonary infiltrate; pulmonary infection; aspiration pneumonitis; pleural effusions; atelectasis; cardiopulmonary edema; and pneumothorax. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of intensive care unit admission | Until hospital discharge, death or 100 days, whichever comes first | Incidence of intensive care unit admission during hospital stay |
| Incidence of extrapulmonary pulmonary complications | Until day seven or hospital discharge, whichever comes first | — |
| Incidence of intraoperative complications | Intraoperatively | Defined as intraoperative hypotension, arrhythmias; or need for rescue for desaturations; or need for vasoactive drugs. |
| Incidence of in-hospital mortality | From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 days | — |
| Incidence of major postoperative complications | Until day seven or hospital discharge, whichever comes first | Collapsed composite of complications developing within the first seven postoperative combining severe postoperative pulmonary complications, sepsis, septic shock and/or acute kidney injury |
| Incidence of 7-day mortality | Mortality during the first seven days of hospitalization | Until day seven or hospital discharge, whichever comes first |
Countries
Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain