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Editorial
. 2023 Aug;131(2):202-204.
doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.04.037. Epub 2023 May 26.

Reversal of neuromuscular block: what are the costs?

Karsten Bartels  1 , Ana Fernandez-Bustamante  2 , Marcos F Vidal Melo  3
Affiliations
Editorial

Reversal of neuromuscular block: what are the costs?

Karsten Bartels et al. Br J Anaesth. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Patients requiring neuromuscular block for anaesthesia have a higher risk of adverse postoperative outcomes. The choice of reversal drug and its corresponding dose is critical for improving clinical outcomes. Although drug costs are higher for sugammadex relative to neostigmine, additional factors need to be considered when choosing one drug over the other. New data from a recent study in the British Journal of Anaesthesia indicate cost advantages for sugammadex in low-risk and ambulatory patients, but for neostigmine in high-risk patients. These findings highlight the need to take local and temporal factors into consideration in addition to clinical effectiveness when performing cost analyses for administrative decision-making.

Keywords: health economics; neostigmine; neuromuscular blocking agent; outcomes; postoperative pulmonary complications; sugammadex.

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