The association of nitrous oxide on length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit: a retrospective observational study

To assess whether intraoperative use of nitrous oxide (N₂O) as an adjunct to general anesthesia is associated with a shorter length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU).

We analyzed data from adult patients who underwent non-cardiothoracic surgery under general anesthesia between May 2008 and December 2018. We assessed the association between intraoperative low- and high-dose N₂O and PACU length of stay.

A total of 148,284 patients were included in the primary analysis. After adjusting for a priori defined confounders, a high dose of N₂O significantly decreased PACU length of stay, with a calculated difference of −9.1 min (95% confidence interval [CI], −10.5 to −7.7; P < 0.001). Patients who received high-dose N₂O had a lower incidence of both short- and prolonged-duration of intraoperative hypotension (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.88; P < 0.001 and aOR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.80; P < 0.001, respectively) and received a lower total intraoperative vasopressor dose (−0.04 mg of norepinephrine equivalents; 95% CI, −0.06 to −0.01; P = 0.01). The effect of high-dose N₂O on PACU length of stay was modified by surgical complexity (adjusted absolute difference: −26.1 min; 95% CI, −29.2 to −23.1; P < 0.001; P for interaction < 0.001), and most pronounced in patients who underwent complex surgery and received intraoperative antiemetic therapy (adjusted absolute difference: −38.9 min; 95% CI, −43.1 to −34.6; P < 0.001; P for interaction < 0.001).

Nitrous oxide was dose-dependently associated with a decreased PACU length of stay. The effect was clinically relevant (> 30 min difference) in patients who underwent complex surgical procedures and received intraoperative antiemetic therapy.