Prolonged use of neuromuscular blocking agents is associated with increased long-term mortality in mechanically ventilated medical ICU patients: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Neuromuscular blockade agents (NMBAs) can be used to facilitate mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients. Accumulating evidence has shown that NMBAs may be associated with intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness and poor outcomes. However, the long-term impact of NMBAs on mortality is still unclear. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis using the 2015–2019 critical care databases at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, a referral center in central Taiwan, as well as the Taiwan nationwide death registry profile. RESULTS: A total of 5709 ventilated patients were eligible for further analysis, with 63.8% of them were male. The mean age of enrolled subjects was 67.8 ± 15.8 years, and the one-year mortality was 48.3% (2755/5709). Compared with the survivors, the non-survivors had a higher age (70.4 ± 14.9 vs 65.4 ± 16.3, p < 0.001), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (28.0 ± 6.2 vs 24.7 ± 6.5, p < 0.001), a longer duration of ventilator use (12.6 ± 10.6 days vs 7.8 ± 8.5 days, p < 0.001), and were more likely to receive NMBAs for longer than 48 h (11.1% vs 7.8%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, and relevant covariates, the use of NMBAs for longer than 48 h was found to be independently associated with an increased risk of mortality (adjusted HR: 1.261; 95% CI: 1.07–1.486). The analysis of effect modification revealed that this association was tended to be strong in patients with a Charlson Comorbidity Index of 3 or higher. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that prolonged use of NMBAs was associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality in critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Further studies are needed to validate our findings.