Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic role of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in pediatric patients undergoing open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 61 pediatric patients who underwent CPB in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2017 to October 2018 was conducted. All perioperative clinical data, including neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and C-reactive protein (CRP), were collected retrospectively. The prognostic value of NLR and its association with extubation time, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay and in-hospital stay were analyzed. Results: Neutrophil count, NLR, and CRP were significantly increased post-operative compared with pre-operative ( p < 0.05). The increased post-operative levels of NLR were significantly associated with longer extubation time, as well as prolonged post-operative cardiac ICU stay ( p < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that elevated NLR displayed a significant independent association with extubation time and the duration of an ICU stay. Conclusion: Increased post-operative NLR followed by cardiac surgery with CPB in pediatric patients was associated with longer extubation time and a longer duration of an ICU stay.

Background: In balanced anesthesia, protocol during the last 30 min is very important to guarantee rapid emergence and smooth extubation. In clinical practice, sevoflurane and propofol are often used in combination to achieve a better anesthetic effect and less adverse reaction. Approximately 30 min before surgical completion, sevoflurane inhalation is often discontinued and propofol is adjusted to keep sufficient depth of anesthesia.However, propofol-based anesthesia may delay time to emergence due to its unpredictable interindividual variability. In contrast, sevoflurane can be rapidly excreted unchanged from the respiratory tract, and more importantly, with minimal variability. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a novel balanced anesthesia protocol, that is propofol-based intravenous induction, propofol-sevoflurane combined maintenance, and total sevoflurane inhalation during the last 30 min of the surgery, on the time to emergence/extubation.Methods: In our study, a total of 100 female patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy were enrolled. All patients received propofol-based intravenous anesthesia for induction followed by propofolsevoflurane combined maintenance. Approximately 30 min before the end of surgery, sevoflurane was continually inhaled without propofol infusion in group Sev (n=50), while propofol was only infused in group Pro (n=50). The primary outcome was the time to emergence/extubation. The second outcomes included time to respiratory recovery, and duration of post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) stay. The hemodynamic parameters and incidences of postoperative adverse events such as hypoxemia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and emergence agitation (EA) were also assessed. Results:The time to emergence/extubation in group Sev was shorter than that in group Pro (12.74±4.31 vs. 17.74±4.27 min, P<0.0001). Similarly, time to respiratory recovery, and duration of PACU stay were significantly shortened in group Sev (all P<0.0001). Most of the patients in group Sev were extubated under a totally waking state of consciousness. The hemodynamic parameters and incidences of postoperative hypoxemia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and EA during the PACU stay were similar between the two groups.Conclusions: In patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy, this novel balanced anesthesia method could shorten the time to emergence/extubation and better waking state without increasing the incidence of adverse events.

Background: To guarantee efficient operating room (OR) activity, tracheal extubation is often performed in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Therefore, the ability of PACU to accommodate postoperative patients is crucial. Optimizing extubation management may speed up the turnover of PACU beds. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of remifentanil, which is used during analepsia, on the length of PACU stay in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for endometrial cancer.Methods: In this prospective trial, we recruited a total of 99 patients, who were scheduled for laparoscopic surgery for endometrial cancer. At the end of the surgery, all patients were immediately transferred to the PACU and continued mechanical ventilation. Upon PACU admission, sputum aspiration was routinely performed. If the hemodynamic parameters fluctuated >30% of the baseline level, or patients moved unconsciously without reaching the criteria of extubation, a bolus injection of either 1 μg/kg remifentanil (Rem group, n=51) or propofol 1.0 mg/kg (Pro group, n=48) was randomly administered. The primary outcome was the duration of PACU stay. The secondary outcomes included time to respiratory breath recovery and time to extubation, along with bispectral index (BIS) values and hemodynamic status after remifentanil or propofol intervention. Times of repeated intervention, rescue administration of vasoactive drugs, and the incidence of adverse events were recorded. Visual analog scale and satisfaction scores at the time of PACU discharge were also evaluated.Results: The duration of PACU stay was shorter in the Rem group than in the Pro group [49 minutes (46.47-51.06 minutes) vs. 62 minutes (60.75-69.29 minutes), P<0.0001]. Compared with the Pro group, the time to spontaneous breathing recovery, the time to extubation, and the incidence of hypoxemia after extubation were reduced in the Rem group (P<0.0001, P<0.0001, P=0.03, respectively). After anesthetic administration, the BIS value decreased less in the Rem group (P<0.0001); blood pressure and heart rate (HR) declined, but were comparable in both groups.Conclusions: Remifentanil, which is injected during analepsia, significantly shortens the duration of PACU stay without increasing adverse events in the peri-extubation period.