Published in:
Open Access 01-11-2017 | Original Scientific Report
Quality of Recovery After Low-Pressure Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy Facilitated by Deep Neuromuscular Blockade: A Randomized Controlled Study
Published in: World Journal of Surgery | Issue 11/2017
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Background
The use of low intra-abdominal pressure (<10 mmHg) reduces postoperative pain scores after laparoscopic surgery.
Objective
To investigate whether low-pressure pneumoperitoneum with deep neuromuscular blockade improves the quality of recovery after laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN).
Design, setting and participants
In a single-center randomized controlled trial, 64 live kidney donors were randomly assigned to 6 or 12 mmHg insufflation pressure. A deep neuromuscular block was used in both groups. Surgical conditions were rated by the five-point Leiden-surgical rating scale (L-SRS), ranging from 5 (optimal) to 1 (extremely poor) conditions. If the L-SRS was insufficient, the pressure was increased stepwise.
Main outcome measure
The primary outcome measure was the overall score on the quality of recovery-40 (QOR-40) questionnaire at postoperative day 1.
Results
The difference in the QOR-40 scores on day 1 between the low- and standard-pressure group was not significant (p = .06). Also the overall pain scores and analgesic consumption did not differ. Eight procedures (24%), initially started with low pressure, were converted to a standard pressure (≥10 mmHg). A L-SRS score of 5 was significantly more prevalent in the standard pressure as compared to the low-pressure group at 30 min after insufflation (p < .01).
Conclusions
Low-pressure pneumoperitoneum facilitated by deep neuromuscular blockade during LDN does not reduce postoperative pain scores nor improve the quality of recovery in the early postoperative phase. The question whether the use of deep neuromuscular blockade during laparoscopic surgery reduces postoperative pain scores independent of the intra-abdominal pressure should be pursued in future studies.
Trial registration
The trial was registered at clinicaltrial.gov before the start of the trial (NCT02146417).