Post-intubation hypotension and its associated factors among geriatric patients who undergo surgery at Eastern Ethiopia referral hospitals: multi-center cross-sectional study
Bekele Buli, Tagesse Taye, Firomsa Bekele, Bayisa GarbessaBackground:
Post-intubation hypotension refers to a marked drop in blood pressure after endotracheal intubation, which can result in serious complications, especially in elderly patients. The precise magnitude and contributing factors of post-intubation hypotension in geriatric anesthesia practice remain unclear. Therefore, further investigation is required.
Objective:
To determine the magnitude and factors associated with post-intubation hypotension among geriatric patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia at the Eastern Ethiopia Referral Hospital in 2023.
Method:
A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted on geriatric patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires that included sociodemographic information, clinical conditions, surgical factors, and anesthesia-related factors. Associations between baseline characteristics and outcome variables were assessed using binary logistic regression. Variables with
Results:
The magnitude of post-intubation hypotension in our study was 36.1%. Being extremely old age (AOR = 3.1, CI = 1.30–7.29), having a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status (AOR = 5.5, CI = 2.57–11.70), low baseline blood pressure (AOR = 4.8, CI = 2.56–8.95), and absence of fluid administration before induction (AOR = 2.9, CI = 1.41–6.29) were independently associated with post-intubation hypotension.
Conclusion and recommendations:
Based on our data, the magnitude of post-intubation hypotension in geriatric surgical patients is notably high. Anesthetists must be aware that endotracheal intubation of an extremely old age, ASA class III patient, pre-existing hypotension, and intubating the patient without preloading fluid were associated with post-intubation hypotension.