Utilization and effect of neuromuscular blockade in a randomized trial of high-frequency oscillation

PURPOSE: We evaluated characteristics associated with neuromuscular blockade (NMB) use, center-level variation, and whether NMB mediated excess mortality among patients assigned to high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in the OSCILLATE trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NMB exposure was defined as receipt after randomization; the primary outcome was hospital mortality. Descriptive analyses compared NMB-exposed vs unexposed patients. …