Anesthesia Management via an Automated Control System for Propofol, Remifentanil, and Rocuronium Compared to Management by Anesthesiologists: An Investigator-Initiated Study

Background: We previously developed an automated total intravenous anesthesia control system that uses new closed-loop system algorithms to administer propofol, remifentanil, and rocuronium based on the bispectral index and train-of-four data. We recently improved this automated control system by adding a safety mechanism and using a modified monitoring device.

Methods: Patients scheduled for elective surgery were randomly assigned to closed-loop feedback control (automatic group) or the manual administration of propofol, remifentanil, and rocuronium (manual group). The proportion of time during which the proper management of three-agent anesthesia was maintained during surgery was determined as the primary endpoint.

Results: The proportion of time during which the three components of sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation were adequately controlled was 87.21 ± 12.79% in the automatic group, which was non-inferior to the proportion of 65.19 ± 20.16% in the manual group (p < 0.001). Adverse events during the operative or postoperative observation periods were significantly less frequent in the automatic group (54 patients, 90.0%) than in the manual group (60 patients, 100.0%; p = 0.027).

Conclusion: Our three-agent automated control system, which features an improved muscle relaxation monitor and safety mechanism added to the basic control algorithms, maintained sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation appropriately in a manner non-inferior to anesthesiologists without compromising safety.