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The Protective Effects of Butorphanol on Pulmonary Function of Patients with Obesity Undergoing Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

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A Correction to this article was published on 29 June 2020

This article has been updated

Abstract

Background

Obesity is a risk factor for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Recent studies have reported the pulmonary protective role of the kappa opioid receptor (KOR). Butorphanol is a narcotic with strong KOR agonist action, and the role in pulmonary protection is uncertain. Here, we hypothesized that butorphanol exerts protective effects on pulmonary function in patients with obesity undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery.

Methods

Patients with a body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2 scheduled for laparoscopic bariatric surgery were randomized to receive butorphanol or normal saline. Butorphanol was administered as an initial loading dose of 10 μg/kg at 5 min before induction followed by 5 μg/(kg h) during surgery. The primary outcome was arterial-alveolar oxygen tension ratio (a/A ratio). Secondary outcomes included other pulmonary variables, biomarkers reflecting pulmonary injury, and incidence of PPCs within 7 days after surgery.

Results

Patients in the butorphanol group had a significantly higher a/A ratio at 1 h after the operation began (68 ± 7 vs. 55 ± 8, P < 0.001), end of the operation (73 ± 8 vs. 59 ± 7, P < 0.001), and 1 h after extubation (83 ± 9 vs. 70 ± 5, P < 0.001) compared with those in the control group. In addition, in the butorphanol group, dead space to tidal volume ratios were significantly lower than those in the control group at the same time points (all P < 0.001). In the control group, the levels of biomarkers reflecting pulmonary injury were significantly higher than those in the butorphanol group at 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h postoperatively (P < 0.001). The incidence of PPCs was similar in both groups.

Conclusion

Butorphanol administration protected pulmonary function by improving oxygenation and reducing dead space ventilation in patients with obesity undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Butorphanol may therefore provide clinical benefits in patients with obesity.

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Change history

  • 29 June 2020

    In the original article some of the references were ordered incorrectly.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Long Wang at University of Xuzhou Medical University for his stimulating discussion and help on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC-81371242, NSFC-81671084); Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu province, Nature Science Foundation of Jiangsu province (BK20161175); “Six One” Project of Jiangsu province (LGY2016039); and The Science Funds for Health and Family Planning Commission of Sichuan Province (18PJ157).

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Author notes

  1. Xiu-li Wang, Si Zeng and Xiao-xiao Li contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China

    Xiu-li Wang, Xiao-xiao Li, Ye Zhao, Xing-he Wang, Tong Li & Su Liu

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Si Zeng

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, 99 Huaihai West Road, Xuzhou, 221000, Jiangsu, China

    Su Liu

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the local institutional review board (XYFY2019-KL082-01).

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Wang, Xl., Zeng, S., Li, Xx. et al. The Protective Effects of Butorphanol on Pulmonary Function of Patients with Obesity Undergoing Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. OBES SURG 30, 3919–3929 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-020-04755-2

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