The hemodynamic effects of withholding vs. continuing angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) before surgery in elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery in a prone position during anesthesia induction to skin incision are still unknown.
In this prospective study, 80 patients undergoing spinal surgery in a prone position with general anesthesia, aged 60–79 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) II or III, were enrolled. Patients who had ARBs only in their preoperative medication list were randomly divided into two groups at a 1:1 ratio: In Group A, ARBs were continued on the morning of surgery, while in Group B, they were withhold. Norepinephrine was infused to maintain the blood pressure at the baseline level of ±20% during anesthesia induction in all patients. The primary outcome was the consumption of norepinephrine in each group from anesthesia induction to skin incision. The secondary outcomes include changes in invasive arterial blood pressure and heart rate, the fluid infusion volumes, the amounts of anesthetic drugs, and the total time from induction to skin incision.
There were no significant differences in the demographics, the fluid infusion volumes, the amounts of anesthetic drugs, the total time from induction to skin incision, and hemodynamics at different time points (
Our study conducted in elderly patients with hypotension undergoing prone spinal surgery demonstrated a greater pumping rate of norepinephrine during anesthesia induction in patients with ARBs continuing before surgery than those withholding, indicating that it was more difficult to maintain hemodynamic stability.