The incidence of postoperative vasopressor usage, a prospective international observational study: ‘SQUEEZE’

Abstract

Abstract Background: Postoperative hypotension is common after major non-cardiac surgery, due predominantly to vasodilatation. Administration of infused vasopressors postoperatively may often be considered a surrogate indicator of vasodilatation. The incidence of postoperative vasopressors and outcomes associated with their use has never been described. We hypothesise that there is variation across centres in using vasopressors after surgery. There may also be a variation in the incidence of organ dysfunction, organ support use, and clinical outcomes in patients treated with postoperative vasopressor therapy. Method: The primary objective of this study is to determine what proportion of patients receive postoperative vasopressor infusions. We will identify factors in variation of care (patient, condition, surgery, and intraoperative management) associated with the receipt of postoperative vasopressor infusions. We will also assess the incidence of associated organ dysfunction and clinical outcomes among those who receive vasopressors. This will be accomplished with a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study that includes all adult (≥18 years) non-cardiac surgical patients in participating centres. Patients undergoing cardiac, obstetric or day-case surgery will be excluded. We will recruit two cohorts of patients: Cohort A will include all eligible patients admitted to participating hospitals for seven consecutive days. Cohort B will include 30 sequential patients per hospital, with the single additional inclusion criterion of postoperative vasopressor usage. We expect to collect data on approximately 40,000 patients for cohort A and 12,800 patients for cohort B. Discussion: While in cardiac surgery, clinical trials have informed the choice of vasopressors used to treat postoperative vasoplegia, there remains equipoise over the best approach in non-cardiac surgery. Our study will represent the first large-scale assessment of the use of vasopressors after non-cardiac surgery. These data will inform future studies, including trials of different vasopressors and potential management options to improve outcomes and reduce resource use after surgery. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03805230, 15th January 2019