Long-Acting Neuromuscular Blocker use During Pre-Hospital Transport of Critically Ill Trauma Patients

Abstract

Specific Aims: During pre-hospital transport, trauma patients may be given a long-acting neuromuscular blocker (NMB) to facilitate endotracheal intubation or to prevent movement. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of long-acting NMB use and evaluate the concurrent use of sedatives. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary care, academic emergency department of trauma patients aged 18-89 years who were intubated in the pre-hospital setting. The primary outcome was to determine the rate of long-acting NMB use. The use of post-intubation sedatives was compared between the groups using Wilcoxon rank-sum test or Fisher’s exact test, using an a priori alpha level of 0.05 for all analyses. Main Result: A total of 51 patients were included in final analyses. All patients received etomidate or midazolam for intubation. 86% (n=44) received succinylcholine, 10% (n=5) were given rocuronium and 4% (n=2) did not receive a NMB. After intubation, 75% (n=38) received an additional long-acting NMB to prevent movement (vecuronium (n=22) or rocuronium (n=16)) . Overall, 82% (n=42) of patients received a long-acting NMB during transport. There was no difference in the rate of post-intubation sedative use between groups (79% versus 67%, respectively, p=0.42). The long-acting NMB group received midazolam less promptly after intubation (16 versus 7 minutes, respectively, p=0.04). Conclusions: The use of long-acting NMB is common during the pre-hospital transport of trauma patients. Some of these patients may not be given sedatives or have delays in receiving sedatives following intubation and be at risk of being paralyzed without sedation.