Objective: To explore the feasibility of Narcotrend index (NTI) for digital monitoring of light sedation depth in patients undergoing short-term mechanical ventilation after pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. Patients with mechanical ventilation for 12-48 hours after pancreaticoduodenectomy admitted to department of critical care medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College from January 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled. They were randomly divided into two groups, and NTI and Richmond agitation-sedation score (RASS) were used to guide light sedation treatment respectively. The implementation effect of light sedation, duration of mechanical ventilation, dosage of sedative drugs, occurrence of adverse events (accidental extubation, delirium, cardiovascular events) and stress response [cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, C-reactive protein (CRP)] were compared between the two groups.
Results: A total of 87 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 45 received NTI-guided sedation assessment and 42 received RASS-guided sedation assessment. There were no significant differences in gender, age, body mass index (BMI), liver function classification, operation time, blood loss, conversion to laparotomy and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score between the two groups. During sedation treatment, the light sedation compliance rate after light sedation, 2, 4, 6 hours and cumulative compliance period number (Dt) in NTI group were higher than those in RASS group [71.1% (32/45) vs. 50.0% (21/42), 80.0% (36/45) vs. 54.8% (23/42), 88.9% (40/45) vs. 59.5% (25/42), 83.9% (642/765) vs. 62.8% (475/756), all P < 0.05]. The dosage of dexmedetomidine in NTI group was higher than that in RASS group (μg×kg-1×h-1: 0.60±0.10 vs. 0.54±0.12, P < 0.01), but more patients in RASS group receiveda larger dose of propofol to maintain sedation [ratio of use of propofol: 64.3% (27/42) vs. 37.8% (17/45), dose of propofol (mg/h): 47.82±7.31 vs. 30.83±10.35, both P < 0.05]. The sedation duration and duration of mechanical ventilation in NTI group were lower than those in RASS group (hours: 15.68±2.43 vs. 17.29±2.43, 16.27±2.42 vs. 18.25±2.04, both P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in hypertension, bradycardia, accidental extubation and delirium between the two groups during sedation treatment, but the incidence of hypotension in RASS group was higher than that in NTI group [35.7% (15/42) vs. 13.3% (6/45), P < 0.05]. Compared with RASS group, epinephrine, norepinephrine and the levels of CRP at treatment of 6 hours with light sedation and 2 hours after tracheal catheter removal in NTI group were decreased [epinephrine (pg/L): 138.35±18.60 vs. 157.50±19.91, 136.24±40.40 vs. 150.46±20.22; norepinephrine (pg/L): 347.34±45.46 vs. 393.75±49.77, 340.59±50.95 vs. 376.37±49.70; CRP (μg/L): 62.26±18.78 vs. 71.31±10.32, 53.30±14.47 vs. 64.26±14.69, all P < 0.05], and cortisol level 6 hours after treatment with light sedation was lower than that of RASS group (nmol/L: 327.03±41.04 vs. 358.12±70.01, P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The application of NTI monitoring to guide light sedation therapy for patients with short-term mechanical ventilation after pancreaticoduodenectomy can better achieve the goal of light sedation.