Table 1.
Characteristics of study population according to whether or not intermediate acting non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents were administered intraoperatively. Values are frequencies (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Subgroups | Neuromuscular blocking agents | |
|---|---|---|
| Administered (n=32 002) | Not administered (n=25 066) | |
| Age (years): | ||
| <10 | 966 (3.0) | 1495 (6.0) |
| 10-19 | 1383 (4.3) | 1415 (5.7) |
| 20-29 | 2362 (7.4) | 1874 (7.5) |
| 30-39 | 3276 (10.3) | 2547 (10.2) |
| 40-49 | 5102 (16.0) | 4424 (17.7) |
| 50-59 | 6154 (19.2) | 4872 (19.4) |
| 60-69 | 5813 (18.2) | 4258 (17.0) |
| 70-79 | 3801 (11.9) | 2360 (9.4) |
| ≥80 | 1821 (5.7) | 936 (3.7) |
| Missing | 1324 (4.1) | 885 (3.5) |
| Mean (SD) | 51.2 (19.8) | 47.6 (20.7) |
| Female | 17 294 (54.0) | 13 054 (52.1) |
| Male | 14 708 (46.0) | 12 012 (47.9) |
| Body weight fifths (kg): | ||
| <60 | 5504 (17.2) | 4710 (18.8) |
| 60-69.9 | 5664 (17.7) | 4332 (17.3) |
| 70-80.9 | 6026 (18.8) | 4510 (18.0) |
| 81-94.9 | 5783 (18.1) | 4419 (17.6) |
| ≥95 | 5974 (18.7) | 4315 (19.9) |
| Missing | 3051 (9.5) | 2780 (11.1) |
| Mean (SD) | 77.8 (24.6) | 75.9 (26.6) |
| ASA status: | ||
| 1 | 4581 (14.3) | 5201 (20.8) |
| 2 | 18 330 (57.3) | 14 568 (58.1) |
| 3 | 8165 (25.5) | 4645 (18.5) |
| ≥4 | 446 (1.4) | 222 (0.9) |
| Missing | 480 (1.5) | 430 (1.7) |
| Mean (SD) | 2.1 (0.7) | 2.0 (0.7) |
| Charlson comorbidity index: | ||
| 0 | 15 597 (48.7) | 15 152 (60.5) |
| 1 | 5742 (17.9) | 3329 (13.3) |
| 2 | 2948 (9.2) | 1848 (7.4 |
| 3 | 3940 (12.3) | 2662 (10.2) |
| 4 | 1934 (6.0) | 1062 (4.2) |
| 5 | 689 (2.2) | 360 (1.4) |
| ≥6 | 1152 (3.6) | 653 (2.6) |
| Mean (SD) | 1.1 (2.1) | 1.4 (2.3) |
| Surgical specialty: | ||
| Burn | 373 (1.2) | 248 (1.0) |
| Cardiac surgery | 86 (0.3) | 18 (0.1) |
| General surgery | 5337 (16.7) | 2758 (11.0) |
| Gynecology | 2642 (8.3) | 2128 (8.5) |
| Neurosurgery | 3062 (9.6) | 1219 (4.9) |
| Oral/maxillofacial surgery | 959 (3.0) | 349 (1.4) |
| Orthopedic surgery | 6094 (19.0) | 6355 (25.4) |
| Pediatric surgery | 1250 (3.9) | 1684 (6.7) |
| Plastic surgery | 1599 (5.0) | 953 (3.8) |
| Surgical oncology | 1336 (4.2) | 2590 (10.3) |
| Thoracic surgery | 3118 (9.7) | 1418 (5.7) |
| Transplant surgery | 548 (1.7) | 384 (1.5) |
| Trauma surgery | 1837 (5.7) | 630 (2.5) |
| Urology | 1998 (6.2) | 3377 (13.5) |
| Vascular surgery | 1376 (4.3) | 479 (1.9) |
| Other | 45 (0.1) | 226 (0.9) |
| Missing | 342 (1.1) | 250 (1.0) |
| Duration of surgery (min): | ||
| <120 | 20 432 (64.1) | 18 774 (76.3) |
| ≥120 | 11 445 (35.9) | 5846 (23.7) |
| Missing | 125 (0.4) | 446 (1.8) |
| Mean (SD) | 111.3 (92.8) | 86.8 (94.4) |
| Emergency case | 1698 (5.3) | 734 (2.9) |
| Missing | 480 (1.5) | 430 (1.7) |
| Volatile anesthetics: | ||
| Any | 29 764 (93.0) | 22 841 (91.1) |
| Desflurane | 1639 (5.1) | 1437 (5.7) |
| Isoflurane | 10 003 (31.3) | 3451 (13.8) |
| Sevoflurane | 20 459 (63.9) | 19 066 (76.1) |
| Nitrous oxide | 26 801 (83.8) | 21 401 (85.4) |
| Strategies to avoid residual neuromuscular blockade: | ||
| Neostigmine | 20 351 (63.6) | NA |
| Neuromuscular transmission monitoring | 15 997 (50.0) | NA |
| Neostigmine plus neuromuscular transmission monitoring | 11 905 (37.2) | NA |
ASA=American Society of Anesthesiologists; NA=not applicable. Percentages may not add up to 100% because of rounding.