Deliberate Compensated Vasoplegia–A Novel Pharmaceutical Approach for Controlling Blood Pressure During Surgery for Pheochromocytoma

Background The most dreaded adverse event of pheochromocytoma surgery is operative severe blood pressure fluctuations. Preoperative protocols with alpha-blockade have achieved controversial results. No study to date evaluated the use of operative protocols in pheochromocytoma patients. Deliberated compensated vasoplegia (DCV) is a novel pharmaceutical regimen developed at our institution to decrease severe hypertensive events. The aim of this study is to compare outcomes of pheochromocytoma resection with and without DCV protocol. Methods A retrospective analysis of all pheochromocytoma resections between the years 2012 and 2021 was performed. Resections performed with and without DCV protocol were compared. The primary outcome measured was the incidence of severe hypertension (MAP > 150 mmHg) during surgery. Secondary outcomes included other abnormal blood pressure measurements as well as perioperative data and complications. Results A total of 41 resections were included, 21 performed under DCV protocol, and 20 without the protocol. Analysis demonstrated no significant difference in preoperative parameters including tumor size, catecholamine levels, and preoperative alpha-blockade protocol. The use of DCV protocol resulted in significant decrease in severe hypertension incidence from 1.95 ± 3.6 to 0.03 ± 0.13 events/h, p = 0.008. Application of the DCV protocol was not associated with any other adverse events. Conclusions This study suggests that DCV anesthesia protocol significantly decreases the incidence of severe hypertensive episodes during pheochromocytoma resection. This is the first study that describes a highly effective protocol for controlling hypertension in pheochromocytoma patients.