Effects of Etomidate Combined with Remifentanil on Inflammatory Factors and Immune Function in Patients Undergoing Thoracic Surgery

Abstract

Background: Characterized by large trauma, strong stress response, long operation time and postoperative pain in thoracic surgery, an efficient anesthesia during the surgery is very important to facilitate the operation. Methods: The clinical data of 130 patients who underwent thoracic surgery in Zibo Central Hospital from April 2020 to April 2022 were selected for a retrospective analysis. The patients were divided into the study group (STG, n = 62, etomidate combined with remifentanil) and the reference group (REG, n = 68, simple general anesthesia) according to different anesthesia schemes, the levels of inflammatory factors in the two groups were compared using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the immune function at different time was compared via a BD flow cytometer. Results: The STG had lower spontaneous breathing recovery time, smooth response time in speech and the time of completing action instruction, and reduced serum levels of inflammatory factors at T1, T2 and T3 than REG (p < 0.001). Serum levels of cluster of differentiation 3 (CD³⁺) at T1–T4, and CD⁴⁺, natural killer (NK) cells and CD⁴⁺/CD⁸⁺ at T2–T4 were higher in STG than in REG (p < 0.05). There was no difference in the total incidence of adverse postoperative reactions in the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The use of etomidate combined with remifentanil for anesthesia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery has an ideal anesthetic effect and less impact on the immune function of patients. Meanwhile, these patients have relatively mild inflammatory reactions, so the combination of etomidate and remifentanil has beneficial clinical application value.