Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with postoperative inadequate analgesia after single-port VATS in Chinese...

Postoperative inadequate analgesia following video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a common and significant clinical problem. While genetic polymorphisms may play role in the variability of postoperative analgesia effect, few studies have evaluated the associations between genetic mutations and inadequate analgesia after single-port VATS.

Twenty-eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among 18 selected genes involved in pain perception and modulation were genotyped in 198 Chinese patients undergoing single-port VATS. The primary outcome was the occurrence of inadequate analgesia in the first night and morning after surgery which was defined by a comprehensive postoperative evaluation. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the association between genetic variations and postoperative inadequate analgesia.

The prevalence of postoperative inadequate analgesia was 45.5% in the present study. After controlling for age and education level, association with inadequate analgesia was observed in four SNPs among three genes encoding voltage-gated sodium channels. Patients with the minor allele of rs33985936 (SCN11A), rs6795970 (SCN10A), and 3312G > T (SCN9A) have an increased risk of suffering from inadequate analgesia. While the patients carrying the minor allele of rs11709492 (SCN11A) have lower risk experiencing inadequate analgesia.

We identified that SNPs in SCN9A, SCN10A, and SCN11A play a role in the postoperative inadequate analgesia after single-port VATS. Although future larger and long-term follow up studies are warranted to confirm our findings, the results of the current study may be utilized as predictors for forecasting postoperative analgesic effect for patients receiving this type of surgery.

This study was retrospectively registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03916120) on April 16, 2019.