Effect of intravenous oxycodone on the physiologic responses to extubation following general anesthesia

Endotracheal intubation and extubation may cause undesirable hemodynamic changes. Intravenous oxycodone has recently been introduced and used for relieving hemodynamic alterations in response to intubation, but there is insufficient information regarding its application in stabilizing hemodynamics during extubation in the patients emerging from general anesthesia.

One hundred patients, who had undergone assorted laparoscopic surgeries under general anesthesia, were randomly assigned to Control group (saline injection, 50 cases) and Study group (intravenous injection of 0.08 mg/kg oxycodone immediately after completion of the surgical procedure, 50 cases). Blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) as well as blood concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol were recorded or measured immediately before extubation (T₀), during extubation (T₁), as well as one minute (T₂), 5 min (T₃), and 10 min after extubation (T₄). In addition, coughing and restlessness, time of eye-opening, and duration from completing surgery to extubation as well as Ramsay Sedation Scale were analyzed.

Blood pressure and heart rate as well as blood concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol were significantly higher in the Control group compared with the Study group at the time of extubation as well as 1, 5, and 10 min after extubation (P < 0.05). When the patients emerged from general anesthesia, 70 % of the Control group had cough, which was significantly higher than that of Study group (40 %, P < 0.05). Significantly higher number of patients manifested restlessness in the Control group before (40 %) and after extubation (20 %) compared with that in the Study group (20 and 2 %, respectively, P < 0.05). In addition, patients of Control group had lower Ramsay score at extubation (1.7 ± 0.7) as well as 30 min after extubation (2.4 ± 0.9) compared to that of the patients of Study group (2.2 ± 0.9, and 3.0 ± 0.8, respectively, P = 0.003 and 0.001).

Intravenous oxycodone attenuated alterations of hemodynamics and blood hormones associated with extubation during emergence from general anesthesia.

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2000040370 (registration date: 11-28-2020) "'retrospectively registered".