Incidence of intraoperative hypotension as a function of the chosen definition - Literature definitions applied to a retrospective cohort using automated data collection

Background: Intraoperative hypotension (10H) is a common side effect of general anesthesia and has been reported to be associated with adverse perioperative outcomes. These associations were found using different definitions for 10H. it is unknown whether the incidences of 10H found with those different definitions are comparable. The authors aimed to describe the relation between the chosen definition and incidence of 10H. Methods: First, a systematic literature search was performed to identify recent definitions of 1011 that have been used in the anesthesia literature. Subsequently, these definitions were applied to a cohort of 15,509 consecutive adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery during general anesthesia. The incidence of IOH according to the different threshold values was calculated, and the effect of a defined minimal duration of a hypotensive episode was studied. Results: Many different definitions of 10H were found. When applied to a cohort of patients, these different definitions resulted in different 10H incidences. Any episode of systolic blood pressure below 80 mmHg was found in 41% of the patients, whereas 93% of the patients had at least one episode of systolic blood pressure more than 20% below baseline. Both definitions are frequently used in the literature. The relation between threshold values from the literature and 10H incidence shows an S-shaped cumulative incidence curve, with occurrence frequencies of 10H varying from 5% to 99%. Conclusions: There is no widely accepted definition of 10H. With varying definitions, many different incidences can be reproduced. This might have implications for previously described associations between 10H and adverse outcomes.