This study estimates the incidence of postoperative residual neuromuscular block when rocuronium neuromuscular block is managed by protocol for qualitative monitoring and reversal with neostigmine or sugammadex. The study is an extension of the recently published study by Thilen and co-workers which evaluated a protocol which used neostigmine as the sole reversal agent (doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2018.03.029). It demonstrated that use of a protocol was associated with a reduced incidence of severe residual paralysis, defined as normalized train-of-four (TOF) ratio \<0.7 at time of tracheal extubation. It was also associated with a highly significant reduction in PRNB as defined for several secondary outcomes, including non-normalized (i.e. raw) TOF-ratio \<0.9 at time of arrival to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).
The current study does not include a control group, only an intervention group. The investigators hypothesize that PRNB can be prevented by adhering to a protocol which incorporates several current recommendations by experts. Importantly, the protocol preserves a role for neostigmine when the pre-reversal assessment indicates that spontaneous recovery has progressed to a so-called minimal block which is defined as the subjective absence of fade in the adductor pollicis TOF response. The investigators will study only abdominal surgery and orthopedic surgery patients. The primary outcome is incidence of PRNB, defined as TOF-ratio \<0.9 on arrival to the PACU. The investigators plan to enroll 120 patients, and if no more than one patient has PRNB, the upper bound for the 95% confidence interval will be less than 5%.
