Table 2.
Participant characteristics.
| Sham (n=43) | Active (n=43) | |
|---|---|---|
| Female sex | 22 (51) | 17 (40) |
| Age (yr) | 53 (34–60) | 47 (33–54) |
| Race (white) | 30 (70) | 28 (65) |
| American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status ≥2 | 30 (70) | 27 (63) |
| GAD-7 score | 6 (4–9) | 7 (5–9) |
| Amsterdam preoperative anxiety score | 14 (10–17) | 15 (11–20) |
| Chronic comorbid disease | ||
| Hypertension | 7 (16) | 7 (16) |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 0 | 3 (7) |
| Cardiac failure | 1 (2) | 2 (5) |
| Cardiac valvular disease | 0 | 1 (2) |
| Stroke/TIA | 0 | 2 (5) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 1 (2) | 3 (7) |
| Diabetes mellitus, type 1 | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| Diabetes mellitus, type 2 | 2 (5) | 2 (5) |
| COPD/asthma | 6 (14) | 4 (9.3) |
| Smoker (ex/current) | 13 (30) | 14 (33) |
| Interstitial or other respiratory disease | 2 (5) | 0 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 4 (9) | 1 (2) |
| GI pathology—other | 2 (5) | 2 (5) |
| Osteoarthritis | 2 (5) | 2 (5) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 2 (5) | 1 (2) |
| Inflammatory disease | 1 (2) | 4 (9) |
| Active cancer | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| Previous cancer | 2 (5) | 2 (5) |
| Preoperative blood tests results | ||
| Haemoglobin (g dl-1) | 127 (111–146) | 133 (108–149) |
| Creatinine (μM) | 70 (57–84) | 66 (53–79) |
| Albumin (g L-1) | 36 (32–43) | 39 (36–46) |
| White cell count (× 109 L-1) | 9.7 (7.3–15.3) | 10.5 (8.2–13.4) |
| Neutrophil count (× 109 L-1) | 6.6 (4.8–12.2) | 7.1 (4.9–10.6) |
| Lymphocyte count (× 109 L-1) | 1.8 (1.3–2.3) | 1.5 (1.1–2.2) |
| C-reactive protein (g L-1) | 9 (4–50) | 18 (4–44) |
| Preoperative medication | ||
| Statin | 5 (12) | 8 (19) |
| Anticoagulant | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| Antiplatelet | 1 (2) | 5 (12) |
| Beta blocker | 2 (5) | 3 (7) |
| Calcium channel antagonist | 6 (14) | 5 (12) |
| Doxazosin | 1 (2) | 0 |
| Diuretic | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| ACE inhibitor | 3 (7) | 2 (5) |
| Angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) | 2 (5) | 0 |
| Other hypertensive/antiarrhythmic | 0 | 0 |
| Asthma/COPD medication | 5 (12) | 5 (12) |
| Steroids | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| Metformin | 2 (5) | 2 (5) |
| Insulin | 1 (2) | 2 (5) |
| Any other diabetic medication | 2 (5) | 0 |
| Opioids—oral | 34 (79) | 35 (81) |
| Opioids—parental | 5 (12) | 4 (9) |
| NSAIDs | 13 (30) | 18 (42) |
| Paracetamol | 43 (100) | 41 (95) |
| Surgery | ||
| lower limb | 36 (84) | 29 (67) |
| upper limb | 3 (7) | 9 (21) |
| other | 4 (9) | 5 (12) |
| Duration of surgery (min) | 195 (13–215) | 170 (116–260) |
| Anaesthetic technique | ||
| General anaesthesia alone | 8 (19) | 7 (16) |
| General anaesthesia + regional/local | 33 (77) | 34 (79) |
| General anaesthesia + peripheral nerve block | 12 (28) | 10 (23) |
| Regional anaesthesia + sedation | 0 | 2 (5) |
All data presented as n (%); median (IQR; inter-quartile range) unless otherwise indicated.
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GI, gastrointestinal; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.