Objective Postoperative muscle relaxant residue can lead to respiratory insufficiency,the aim of this study was to evaluate the antagonistic effects of sugammadex sodium and neostigmine on the muscular release of rocuronium in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy,as well as their impact on postoperative pulmonary complica-tions.Methods A total of 90 patients who planned to undergo elective video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy in the Af-filiated Hospital of Qinghai University from September 2021 to December 2022 were selected,and they were randomly as-signed to either the sugammadex sodium group(group S)or neostigmine group(group N)using a random number table method,with 45 cases in each group.Group S was intravenously injected with sugammadex sodium 2 mg/kg,while Group N received an intravenous injection with neostigmine 0.05 mg/kg(maximum dose 5 mg)and atropine 0.02 mg/kg.Extubation time,post-anesthesia cave unit(PACU)stay time,postoperative length of hospitalization,and total length of hospitalization were compared.Muscle strength in each part of the patient was assessed 15 min after admission to PACU.Postoperative pulmonary infection and other adverse reactions were compared.Results The extubation time and PACU residence time in group S were 8.1(6.1,10.9)min,11.8(8.9,19.7)min,respectively,which were statisti-cally shorter than those in group N[8.6(6.4,16.5)min,13.3(10.0,23.9)min],and the differences were statisti-cally significant(Z=2.089,2.853,P<0.05).The number of patients in group S with head raising and holding was sig-nificantly higher than that in the N group(P<0.05).The number of patients in group S who can track object with eyes was statistically higher than that in group N(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of postopera-tive adverse reactions between 2 groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Compared with neostigmine,sugammadex sodium an-tagonized the muscle relaxation effect of rocuronium in patients with video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy but did not re-duce the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications.