Error Traps in the Intrahospital Transport of Critically Ill and Anesthetized Children

Intrahospital transport of anesthetized and critically ill children is a routine event that carries myriad risks. Patients with a vast array of conditions are transported between the intensive care unit, procedural and diagnostic imaging suites, emergency department, and other areas. Given this complexity, the range of potential adverse events is large. Improving safety during transport will require a broad and holistic approach. This review will inform pediatric anesthesiologists on the best approach to improve their care and patient safety during transport by identifying common error traps, with both individual- and system-level countermeasures. The error traps include the failure to fully weigh all risks, costs, and benefits associated with transport for a procedure or test; secure appropriate resources for transport and at every destination; provide pertinent information during transfers of care; anticipate physical and physiological changes associated with transport; and execute the plan effectively as a team. Countermeasures include multidisciplinary discussion and resource optimization; use of systematic tools, standardized communication, and checklists to improve processes of care; encouraging the prioritization of a culture of safety around transport; and adapting the team composition and leadership style to suit the specific clinical scenario.

Multidisciplinary, evidence-based, patient-centred perioperative patient safety recommendations: a European consensus study☆

BACKGROUND

Surgery-related adverse events are among the most common adverse events in-hospital. However, no comprehensive, multidisciplinary perioperative guidelines exist at the European level. The aim of this study is to describe the process and results in achieving European multidisciplinary consensus on perioperative patient safety recommendations.

METHODS

This multimethod study included: (1) a systematic review of guidelines; (2) selection and synthesis of recommendations; and (3) a two-round modified Delphi technique including a 2-day face-to-face consensus conference. We recruited a panel of two expert groups balanced in terms of gender, geographical origin, and professional background, with meaningful participation from patient representatives. Consensus was defined as at least 70% of the panel rating a recommendation 7-9 on a 9-point Likert scale for importance to patient safety and feasibility of implementation.

RESULTS

The systematic review included 267 guidelines, from which 4666 patient safety recommendations were identified and extracted. After four synthesis rounds, 99 recommendations were presented for the Delphi survey, detailing their strength of recommendation, level of evidence, and methodological quality of the cited guidelines. An expert group, composed of 66 multidisciplinary experts from 19 European countries, participated with a response rate of 80.3%. After the two Delphi rounds and the consensus conference, the panel agreed on a final set of 101 recommended perioperative patient safety practices.

CONCLUSIONS

A set of 101 comprehensive, evidence-based, patient-centred perioperative patient safety practices was developed through a European consensus process to improve the quality of care in healthcare facilities across Europe and beyond.

LncRNA MALAT1 serves as a risk factor in perioperative respiratory adverse events in children under general anesthesia

The perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAE) are ineluctable during pediatric anesthesia. Accurate assessment of preoperative anesthesia is significant to reduce surgical risks in general anesthesia. This study focused on the expression level and predictive performance of lncRNA MALAT1 in PRAE for general anesthesia children. 236 medical records from children patients were included and they were divided into the No-PRAE group (n = 129) and the PRAE group (n = 107). Blood samples obtained before general anesthesia were used to evaluate the relative levels of MALAT1 by qRT-PCR. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify underlying risk factors. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to estimate the diagnostic performance of MALAT1 in the occurrence of PRAE. The serum MALAT1 in the PRAE group was identified to be higher than that in the No-PRAE group. The regression analysis indicated that patients with preoperative airway disease (OR: 2.813; 95%CI: 1.327-5.961) or longer anesthesia duration (OR: 2.131; 95%CI: 1.111-4.088) or higher levels of MALAT1 (OR: 13.019; 95%CI: 6.769-25.039) faced a higher risk of PRAE. The area under the ROC curve was 0.885 while the sensitivity and specificity were 79.44% and 82.17%, respectively, identifying the referrible value of MALAT1 as a risk factor for predicting PRAE in general anesthesia children. In conclusion, the increased MALAT1 was a potential indicator of predicting PRAE in general anesthesia children.

Hospital Ownership and Surgical Outcomes in East, Central, and Southern Africa

Importance

Surgical mortality remains a critical public health issue in resource-limited settings. Hospital ownership type may influence surgical outcomes, yet this relationship is not well understood in East, Central, and Southern Africa, where a diverse mix of public, private, and faith-based hospitals provides care.

Objective

To determine whether hospital ownership type (public, private, or faith-based) is associated with differences in surgical mortality rates in East, Central, and Southern Africa.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study analyzed operative cases recorded by 214 general surgery trainees enrolled in surgical training programs at 85 public, private, and faith-based hospitals in East, Central, and Southern Africa from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2020. Cases were documented in mandatory operative logbooks. Reported mortalities were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression to account for clustering by trainee while controlling for age category, emergency status, case complexity, specialty type, country Human Development Index, trainee postgraduate year, and self-reported autonomy. Data were analyzed in July 2024.

Exposures

Hospital ownership type categorized as public, private, or faith-based.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was perioperative mortality, defined as in-hospital, all-cause mortality before discharge. Mortality rates were compared across hospital types.

Results

Of the 106 106 operative cases analyzed, 48 474 (45.7%) were performed in public, 3507 (3.3%) in private, and 54 125 (51.0%) in faith-based hospitals. Patients' median (IQR) age was 34 (20-51) years, and 61.5% were male. The overall perioperative mortality rate was 1.6% (95% CI, 1.5%-1.6%). Among major cases (mortality, 1138 of 53 718 [2.1%; 95% CI, 2.0%-2.2%]), faith-based hospitals had 57% lower mortality (518 of 35 370 [1.5%; 95% CI, 1.3%-1.6%]) than public hospitals (589 of 17 223 [3.4%; 95% CI, 3.2%-3.7%]) and 47% lower mortality than private hospitals (31 of 1125 [2.8%; 95% CI, 1.9%-3.9%]). Mixed-effects logistic regression revealed that faith-based hospitals had lower odds of mortality compared with public hospitals (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.51-0.86; P = .002) and private hospitals (odds ratio, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.34-0.95; P = .03).

Conclusions

In this study, faith-based hospitals in East, Central, and Southern Africa were associated with significantly lower surgical mortality rates compared with public and private hospitals. These findings suggest that practices and resources in faith-based hospitals contribute to improved surgical outcomes, warranting further investigation to inform health care policy and improve surgical care and outcomes in the region.

Practice of ventilation in critically ill pediatric patients: protocol for an international, long-term, observational study, and results of the pilot feasibility study

OBJECTIVE

This manuscript describes the protocol of an investigator-initiated, international, multicenter, long-term, prospective observational study named PRactice of VENTilation in PEDiatric Patients (PRoVENT-PED), designed to investigate the epidemiology, respiratory support practices and outcomes of critically ill pediatric patients.

DESIGN

Data will be collected biannually over 10 years during predefined 4-week intervals, with an additional optional period to accommodate data collection during an epidemic or pandemic. The specific focus of PRoVENT-PED will evolve as the study progresses, initially emphasizing collecting detailed ventilator data from invasively ventilated patients. In later phases, the focus will shift to noninvasive respiratory support and typical aspects of respiratory support, like patient-ventilator asynchronies, weaning practices, and rescue therapies, as extracorporeal support. PRoVENT-PED includes patients under 18 years of age, admitted to a participating intensive care unit, and receiving respiratory support. The endpoints vary with the focus in each phase but will always include a set of key settings and ventilation parameters and related outcomes. If applicable, potentially modifiable factors and associations with outcomes will be studied. The pilot feasibility study demonstrated that the electronic capturing system effectively collects all necessary data within a reasonable time limit, with little missing data.

CONCLUSION

PRoVENT-PED is a 10-year, international, multicenter study focused on collecting data on respiratory support practices in critically ill pediatric patients. Its scope evolves from invasive to noninvasive ventilatory support, ultimately encompassing patient-ventilator asynchronies, weaning practices, and rescue therapies.

Preoperative fasting in paediatric anaesthesia: a movie with a predicable ending

A large international prospective pragmatic study (EUROFAST), analysing more than 306 900 anaesthetic procedures across 31 centres, compared the incidence of pulmonary aspiration in children after three different clear fluid fasting regimens: traditional fasting (≥2 h before induction of anaesthesia), ≥1 h fasting before induction and sip-til-send. EUROFAST provided further evidence supporting the safety of liberal fasting times by demonstrating that the incidence of confirmed pulmonary aspiration with fasting durations of ≥1 h is not higher than that observed with a ≥2 h fasting period. EUROFAST provided additional evidence to support changes in practice for institutions that still adhere to the outdated 6-4-2 fasting regimen by adopting a more modern approach of ≥1 h fasting or sip-til-send.

Thirty-day mortality risk prediction for geriatric patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery in the surgical intensive care unit

BACKGROUND

The prediction of mortality for elderly patients undergoing non-cardiac surgeries is a vital research area, as accurate risk assessment can help surgeons make better clinical decisions during the perioperative period. This study aims to build a mortality risk prediction model for surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients aged 65 and older undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

METHODS

Data was obtained from 1960 patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery from the medical information mart for intensive care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. The least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) regularization algorithm and the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) for feature importance evaluation were used to screen important predictors. Five predictive models were established: categorical boosting (CatBoost), logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM). External validation was performed utilizing data from 153 patients in the MIMIC-III database. Finally, shapley additive explanations (SHAP) was utilized for a personalized analysis of the models.

RESULTS

Among the five predictive models developed in this study, the CatBoost model demonstrated superior overall performance in both the test data set (AUC = 0.96, F1 = 0.90) and the external validation data set (AUC = 0.98, F1 = 0.91). The decision curve analysis showed that the model offers a beneficial net benefit. The CatBoost model showed significant enhancements in classification accuracy when compared to the conventional revised cardiac risk index (RCRI) score. SHAP analysis revealed that anion gap, age, prothrombin time (PT), and weight were the four key variables influencing the predictive performance of the CatBoost model.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates the potential of machine learning methods for early prediction of outcomes in critically ill elderly patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. A web-based application was developed, which could serve as an effective tool for clinicians in their risk assessment and clinical decision-making processes.

Promethazine for nausea and vomiting prevention after gynaecological laparoscopic surgery: A randomized controlled trial

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) represent significant concerns for patients undergoing surgical procedures, as these symptoms greatly impact their postoperative experience. Among female patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery, the incidence of PONV is estimated to be approximately 45%. Moreover, for those individuals who have not undergone preventive treatment, the risk of experiencing PONV can be as high as 80%.Regrettably, despite ongoing efforts, there is still a lack of a fully effective and comprehensive solution to effectively manage and prevent PONV in these patient populations. The pursuit of an ideal strategy for the prevention and management of PONV remains an active area of research and clinical investigation. This prospective, single-center, randomized, double-blind study was conducted at Gansu Provincial Hospital from June 2021 to March 2022, involving a cohort of 100 subjects aged 18-65 years undergoing non-emergent gynaecological laparoscopic surgery. Prior to anesthesia induction, subjects were intravenously administered either 6.25 mg of promethazine or 1 mL of saline. Postoperatively, all subjects received patient-controlled intravenous analgesia and a continuous infusion of metoclopramide at a rate of 50 mg. The primary outcome measures included assessing the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting at 72 h following the surgical procedure. The results of this study show that the overall incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting within 72 h after operation is significantly different between the two groups before. (P = 0.026, P = 0.012). The incidence and severity of nausea during the early period (the first 6 h postoperatively) was significantly different between groups (P = 0.043, 95%CI(-0.273,-0.019), P = 0.048). A statistically significant difference was found in the incidence and severity within 24 h postoperatively (P = 0.026,95%CI (-0.348,-0.042), P = 0.003). Vomiting incidence and severity were lower than in the control group at the 6 h postoperatively but without statistical difference between the two groups (P = 0.166, 95%CI(-0.164,0.016) P = 0.180). Vomiting incidence and severity were statistically different during the 24 h postoperatively (P = 0.011, 95%CI(-0.342,-0.048),P = 0.004). A significant statistical difference was found in the satisfaction between the two groups during the postoperative observation period (P = 0.002). The administration of preoperative prophylactic promethazine proved to be notably effective in diminishing both the incidence and severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting within the initial 72 h postoperatively. This intervention demonstrated a favorable safety profile, characterized by a minimal occurrence of adverse effects and an absence of serious adverse reactions. Furthermore, the satisfaction levels of patients undergoing this prophylactic approach were observed to be improved. These findings highlight the potential benefits of preoperative prophylactic promethazine in enhancing the postoperative experience for patients, with positive implications for their overall satisfaction with the surgical procedure. Clinical Trials Registration Number: (18/12/2021) ChiCTR2100054495.

Preoperative cognitive function and surgical outcomes under general anesthesia among older patients

PURPOSE

To investigate whether preoperative cognitive impairment is associated with postoperative outcomes under general anesthesia.

METHODS

This population-based cohort study utilized a nationwide database in South Korea. We included patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia at the hospital between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. The Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire-Cognition (KDSQ-C), a tool designed for efficient dementia screening, was used to evaluate preoperative cognitive impairment. The KDSQ-C is administered during biennial National Health Insurance Service medical evaluations beginning at age 66 years.

RESULTS

This study included 108,158 older patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia. In a multivariable Cox regression model, patients with KDSQ-C ≥ 6 had a 35 % higher risk of 90-day mortality than those with KDSQ-C of 0-5 (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.35, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.15, 1.57; P < 0.001). Increased 90-day mortality was observed in the following KDSQ-C groups compared to those with a score of 0-5: KDSQ-C 11-15 (HR: 1.54, 95 % CI: 1.13, 2.11; P = 0.007), KDSQ-C 16-20 (HR: 1.98, 95 % CI: 1.31, 2.99; P = 0.001), KDSQ-C 21-25 (HR: 1.99, 95 % CI: 1.29, 2.57; P = 0.004), and KDSQ-C 26-30 (HR: 2.03, 95 % CI: 1.26, 3.28; P = 0.004). Similar results were found in the analyses of one-year all-cause mortality and postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Older patients with preoperative cognitive impairment undergoing general anesthesia have higher mortality and morbidity rates, particularly in patients with KDSQ-C scores ≥11.

Emerging Technology and the Future of Perioperative Care: Perspectives and Recommendations From the 2023 Stoelting Conference of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

Anesthesiology has a longstanding commitment to patient safety, characterized by innovative research, quality improvement, multidisciplinary collaboration, and engineering-based approaches to care systems. The field has been instrumental in advancing technological developments across the perioperative continuum, contributing to the ongoing mission of harm reduction and risk mitigation. However, modern challenges in health care, including increasingly complex patient conditions, workforce shortages, burnout, and the overwhelming volume of health data generated, have created a more urgent and multifaceted landscape for patient safety efforts. Furthermore, with the expanding perioperative continuum, from prehabilitation to postoperative acute care at home, anesthesiology teams must now adapt to a broader role in patient care. To continue enhancing patient safety, anesthesiology must integrate emerging technologies into clinical workflows, scaling their presence and effectiveness. The 2023 Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Stoelting Conference highlighted the necessity for anesthesiology to embrace these innovations while recognizing the challenges they pose. Three key technological domains were emphasized: wearables and the Internet of Medical Things; big data and artificial intelligence; and clinical decision support systems coupled with advanced alarm systems. These technologies offer opportunities to improve patient safety but require careful integration into clinical practice. This report explores the potential of these technologies to reshape anesthesiology and perioperative care while focusing on their application across 4 key phases: the preanesthesia phase at home; the intraoperative phase within health systems; postanesthesia recovery; and recovery at home. By leveraging these technologies, anesthesiology can enhance decision-making, improve outcomes, and continue advancing the mission of patient safety in a rapidly evolving health care landscape.

Optimal Period for Surgery for Congenital Muscular Torticollis Following the Failure of Physiotherapy

Congenital muscular torticollis is the third most common cause of orthopedic deformity. It is a risk factor for plagiocephaly. Physiotherapy is the preferred treatment. However, if it fails, surgery is recommended. This study examined the surgical results of congenital muscular torticollis in association with age. A retrospective descriptive study of patients who underwent surgery (tenotomy of the sternocleidomastoid muscle) for congenital muscular torticollis at a single center between 2000 and 2022 was, accordingly, performed. Clinical results (excellent, good, or poor) were examined in the following 3 age groups: younger than 18 months, older than 4 years, and an intermediate age. Surgical results were evaluated for at least 12 months of follow-up. During the study period, 96 cases of congenital muscular torticollis were surgically treated, and 75 records met the inclusion criteria. Initial physiotherapy was administered to all patients for an average of 16.9 months. Excellent and good results were better in the below 18-month group (mean: 13.4 mo) without recurrence. The results were poor in 22.8% of intermediate-age patients and in 13.0% of those older than 4 years. Thus, surgery for congenital muscular torticollis, after the failure of physiotherapy, achieved an overall success rate of 85.6% (excellent or good). Bipolar tenotomy should, therefore, be performed if congenital muscular torticollis is resistant to physiotherapy. The optimal period is between 12 and 18 months of age. In cases of neglected torticollis, better results are obtained if surgery is postponed until after the child is 4 years old. Level of evidence: level III.

Apnoeic oxygenation during paediatric tracheal intubation: a study protocol for a single-centre, cluster randomised clinical trial (ApOx-Pedi-Trial)

INTRODUCTION

Adverse events during paediatric anaesthesia are common, with hypoxaemia during the induction period being a leading cause, as infants and children are particularly vulnerable to hypoxaemia during periods of apnoea. The administration of supplementary oxygen, referred to as apnoeic oxygenation, has been shown to prolong safe apnoea times and increase first-pass intubation success rates. Despite these benefits, apnoeic oxygenation is not routinely used in paediatric anaesthesia. Low-flow apnoeic oxygenation, delivered via a standard nasal cannula, is a simple approach to provide supplementary oxygen during paediatric airway management without requiring additional equipment. However, its efficacy in airway management during elective surgeries has not been adequately studied.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The ApOx-Pedi-Trial is a single-centre, cluster randomised, controlled clinical trial comparing the use of low-flow apnoeic oxygenation during the induction of general anaesthesia in infants and children up to 6 years of age undergoing elective surgery at the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital to standard of care (no apnoeic oxygenation). Randomisation is conducted using a weekly cluster randomisation method, where all patients presenting for surgery in a given week either receive apnoeic oxygenation or standard of care during the induction of general anaesthesia, based on the week's group allocation.The study population will consist of two independent, age-stratified cohorts (<24 months and >24 months to 6 years), each including 100 patients. Statistical analysis of study endpoints will be conducted separately for each cohort to allow for age-specific assessment of outcomes.The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate whether apnoeic oxygenation can prevent a decrease in transcutaneous haemoglobin saturation (SpO₂) during the induction of general anaesthesia in infants and children. The primary outcome measure will be the lowest recorded SpO₂ value throughout the apnoeic period.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The ApOx-Pedi-Trial received permission from the local ethics committee (Ethics Committee of the medical faculty at Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany) under the registration number S-074-2024. The study is following institutional Guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975 in its most recent version. Trial results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

The trial is prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with the number NCT06576596.

Remote ischaemic preconditioning and survival in noncardiac surgery: a meta-analysis of randomised trials

BACKGROUND

Remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) is an intervention involving brief periods of limb ischaemia to protect remote organs from subsequent ischaemic injury. Although evidence exists on the beneficial effects of RIPC on biomarkers, its effect on survival is unknown. We performed a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate whether RIPC improves survival in noncardiac surgery.

METHODS

We searched several electronic databases for randomised trials comparing RIPC vs a control group in adult noncardiac surgical settings. The primary outcome was mortality at the longest follow-up available. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Bayesian statistics were used to estimate the probability of mortality benefit (RR <1).

RESULTS

We identified 72 RCTs, which included 7457 subjects. Mortality was reported in 28 RCTs and was lower in the RIPC group compared with the control group (88/2122 [4.1%] vs 102/1767 [5.8%]; RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.57-0.98, P=0.03; I2=0%; moderate certainty; number needed to treat = 67), corresponding to a 97.0% probability of any reduction in mortality. RIPC was also associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative stroke (moderate certainty) and with a shorter duration of hospital stay (low certainty).

CONCLUSIONS

Remote ischaemic preconditioning was associated with improved survival and reduced postoperative stroke and hospital stay in noncardiac surgery. These findings warrant careful considerations of the benefits of RIPC and support the need for a large, multicentre RCT to confirm these promising results.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL

CRD42024588358 (PROSPERO).

Comparing block characteristics of mixtures of short/intermediate- and long-acting local anesthetics for peripheral nerve block: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Results from Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) on mixed Local Anesthetics (LA) are conflicting. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on whether using mixed LA leads to faster onset of surgical block.

METHOD

We conducted systemic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Medline and Embase without language restriction from inception to June 15, 2024, were searched. Included RCTs had to compare mixed LA to long-acting LA in adult surgical patients for onset or duration of nerve blocks. Onset time to surgical block was the primary outcome. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool with GRADE methodology was utilized to assess evidence quality.

RESULTS

Nineteen trials including 1060 participants met the inclusion criteria. Mixed LA modestly reduced time to surgical block (-8.4 minutes; 95% CI -12.0 to -4.8 minutes; p = 0.0001; I2 = 0.99), sensory block duration (-226.2 minutes; 95% CI -352.2 to -100.1 minutes; p = 0.002; I2 = 0.98) and motor block duration (-259.2 minutes; 95% CI -399.5 to -119.0 minutes; p = 0.003; I2 = 0.98) but not time to analgesic request duration (-130.5 minutes; 95% CI -265.9 to 4.9 minutes; p = 0.057; I2 = 0.98). GRADE scoring ranged from low to very low.

CONCLUSION

The existing evidence showed mixed LA led to a modest reduction in surgical block latency but also shortened block duration. Future studies should evaluate the role of mixed LA in lower limb blocks and optimal dosing of long-acting LA to balance onset latency and analgesic duration.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42024552801.

Assessing perioperative risks in a mixed elderly surgical population using machine learning: A multi-objective symbolic regression approach to cardiorespiratory fitness derived from cardiopulmonary exercise testing

Accurate preoperative risk assessment is of great value to both patients and clinical teams. Several risk scores have been developed but are often not calibrated to the local institution, limited in terms of data input into the underlying models, and/or lack individual precision. Machine Learning (ML) models have the potential to address limitations in existing scoring systems. A database of 1190 elderly patients who underwent major elective surgery was analyzed retrospectively. Preoperative cardiorespiratory fitness data from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), demographic and clinical data were extracted and integrated into advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms. Multi-Objective-Symbolic-Regression (MOSR), a novel algorithm utilizing Genetic Programming to generate mathematical formulae for learning tasks, was employed to predict patient morbidity at Postoperative Day 3, as defined by the PostOperative Morbidity Survey (POMS). Shapley-Additive-exPlanations (SHAP) was subsequently used to analyze feature contributions. Model performance was benchmarked against existing risk prediction scores, namely the Portsmouth-Physiological-and-Operative-Severity-Score-for-the-Enumeration-of-Mortality-and-Morbidity (PPOSSUM) and the Duke-Activity-Status-Index, as well as linear regression using CPET features. A model was also developed for the same task using data directly extracted from the CPET time-series. The incorporation of cardiorespiratory fitness data enhanced the performance of all models for predicting postoperative morbidity by 20% compared to sole reliance on clinical data. Cardiorespiratory fitness features demonstrated greater importance than clinical features in the SHAP analysis. Models utilizing data taken directly from the CPET time-series demonstrated a 12% improvement over the cardiorespiratory fitness models. MOSR model surpassed all other models in every experiment, demonstrating excellent robustness and generalization capabilities. Integrating cardiorespiratory fitness data with ML models enables improved preoperative prediction of postoperative morbidity in elective surgical patients. The MOSR model stands out for its capacity to pinpoint essential features and build models that are both simple and accurate, showing excellent generalizability.

Outcomes following extended postoperative recovery unit admission in noncardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Surgery carries inherent risks, with the postoperative phase being as critical as the intraoperative period. Enhanced perioperative care units, positioned between general wards and intensive care units, aim to provide adequate postoperative management and resource allocation. Despite their widespread implementation, evidence on outcomes remains limited.

OBJECTIVES

The primary outcome was 30-day or in-hospital mortality following extended postoperative recovery, with subgroup meta-analysis examining enhanced perioperative care units and intensive care units. Secondary outcomes included, among others, hospital length of stay.

DESIGN

Systematic review with meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

A comprehensive search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar from inception up to 22 April 2024.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The search string encompassed extended postoperative recovery units, including enhanced perioperative care units and intensive care units, for noncardiac, nontransplant surgery, excluding speciality-specific, age-specific, indirect and nonsurgical admissions. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, eligibility assessment and quality appraisal.

RESULTS

Of 28 179 records screened, 24 were included of which 22 were unique studies. The overall pooled random-effects mortality, based on 15 studies, was 3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2 to 6)%. Subgroup analysis demonstrated a mortality of 2 (95% CI 1 to 4)% for patients managed in enhanced perioperative care units and 8 (95% CI 4 to 14)% in intensive care units ( χ2  = 7.99; P  < 0.01). Risk of bias (ROBINS I) was moderate to serious, and heterogeneity substantial. Pooled hospital length of stay, based on six studies, was 8.6 (95% CI 5.9 to 11.3) days.

CONCLUSION

Pooled mortality following extended postoperative recovery in noncardiac surgery was 3% (95% CI 2 to 6). Subgroup analysis indicated lower mortality among patients managed in enhanced perioperative care units. However, considerable heterogeneity in operational definitions, unit capabilities, and admission criteria necessitates cautious interpretation while reflecting real-world practices. Delineation through further research is warranted.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42023457051.

Structural, material and functional organisation of centres performing paediatric anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE

The French Society of Anesthesiology and Critical Care (Société Française d'Anesthésie et de Réanimation (SFAR)) and the French association of paediatric intensive care anaesthetists (Association des Anesthésistes Réanimateurs Pédiatriques d'Expression Française (ADARPEF)) have joined forces to provide guidelines for professional practice on the structural, material, and functional organisation of centres performing pediatric anesthesia.

DESIGN

A consensus committee of 16 experts from the SFAR and the ADARPEF was convened. The experts declared no conflict of interest before and throughout the process. The entire guidelines process was conducted independently of any industry funding. The authors were asked to follow the principles of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system to guide the assessment of the quality of evidence.

METHODS

Four fields were defined: (1) structure and logistics; (2) equipment and materials; (3) training; and (4) functional organisation. For each field, the objective of the recommendations was to answer a number of questions formulated according to the PICO model (population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes). Based on these questions, an extensive bibliographic search was carried out on works published from 2000 to 2022, using predefined keywords according to PRISMA guidelines and analyzed using the GRADE® methodology. Because of the very small number of studies that could provide the necessary power for the most important endpoint (i.e., morbidity), it was decided, before drafting the recommendations, to adopt a Recommendations for Professional Practice (RPP) format rather than a Formalised Recommendations of Experts (RFE) format. The recommendations were formulated according to the GRADE® methodology, before being voted on by all the experts according to the GRADE grid method.

RESULTS

The experts' synthesis work and the application of the GRADE® method resulted in 34 recommendations dealing with the structural, material and functional organization of centers performing pediatric anaesthesia. After three rounds of rating and several amendments, an agreement was reached on all the recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

Strong agreement exists among the experts to provide recommendations aimed at improving the structural, material and functional organization of centers performing paediatric anaesthesia.

POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOME OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AFTER ELECTIVE AND EMERGENCY LAPAROTOMY

BACKGROUND

Surgery is associated with a high risk for morbidity and mortality, particularly when performed in critical patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors associated with adverse outcomes in a large cohort of patients admitted to a single-center ICU after abdominal surgery.

METHODS

All patients admitted to a surgical ICU for postoperative care, from January 2016 to December 2022, were retrospectively evaluated. Data concerning demographics and clinical and perioperative variables were compared to in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 1,717 patients (1,096 women, mean age: 61±17 years) were evaluated. Most of the patients underwent colorectal (n=499), pancreatic (n=148), biliary tract (n=147), and gastric surgeries (n=145); liver resection (n=131); and several gynecological or obstetric procedures (n=250). Only 52.3% of these surgical procedures were elective. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were 4.4±2.8 and 10.1±5.6, respectively. Mortality was observed in 158 (9.2%) patients. Age (70.4±14.3 vs. 60.6±17.1 years in survivors, p=0.002), CCI (6.1±2.5 vs. 4.3±2.8 in survivors, p=0.005), type of surgery (13.6% in emergent/urgent vs. 5.5% in elective surgeries, p<0.001), and APACHE II score (16.7±8.4 vs. 9.4±4.7 in survivors, p<0.0001) were associated with mortality on univariate analysis, but only CCI, type of surgery, and APACHE II score were independently correlated with a higher risk of death on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality after abdominal surgery in patients requiring postoperative ICU support is less than 10% nowadays, and it is independently associated with urgent or emergent surgeries, disease severity, and comorbidity.

Educational Review and Cases of Delayed Gastric Emptying in Children With Short Bowel Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) and intestinal failure (IF) often require repeated sedation and anesthesia throughout their lives. These patients may present for elective procedures well-appearing, with appropriate preoperative fasting and no clear signs of gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction. Despite appearing to be at normal risk for anesthesia-related aspiration, unique physiologic adaptations in this patient population are likely to increase the risk of gastrointestinal dysmotility and aspiration. Current guidelines do not specifically identify IF and SBS as conditions associated with high aspiration risk.

OBJECTIVES

To highlight the elevated risk of pulmonary aspiration in patients with SBS and IF and propose mitigation strategies for anesthesia providers.

METHODS

We present two illustrative cases of patients with SBS who nearly experienced pulmonary aspiration under anesthesia. Both cases involved patients who exceeded standard fasting guidelines, lacked signs and symtoms of GI obstruction, and demonstrated normal to high stool output.

RESULTS

These cases reveal that intestinal adaptation, chronic physiologic changes, and prior medical and surgical interventions can significantly impair gastric emptying and intestinal motility, thereby increasing aspiration risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Standard preoperative assessments may not adequately identify aspiration risk in patients with SBS and IF. Anesthesia providers should consider tailored strategies to mitigate aspiration risk in this unique patient population that include minimizing sedation or, when greater depth of anesthesia is required, avoiding natural airways and supglottic airway devices in favor of rapid sequence induction and endotracheal intubation.

Optimizing pediatric preoperative fasting management: a survey of practices and real durations in Chinese hospitals

BACKGROUND

Rational preoperative fasting can reduce the risk of regurgitation and aspiration, enhance anesthesia safety and efficiency, and mitigate the adverse effects of prolonged fasting. This study investigates the existing practices of preoperative fasting management in Chinese pediatric patients and explores the real duration of preoperative fasting.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire on fasting management in children was developed and an online survey was conducted among anesthesiologists. The survey mainly included the real implementation of pediatric fasting protocols, anesthesiologists' understanding of pediatric fasting management, and the application of gastric ultrasound. Moreover, data on pediatric preoperative fasting durations were collected from different hospitals across China.

RESULTS

A total of 770 questionnaires and 1285 records of preoperative fasting cases were obtained. The survey indicated variations in preoperative fasting protocols among hospitals. Most hospitals recommended fasting for clear fluids for 2 h, while the new 1-h regimen and the liberal regimen were less implemented due to concerns regarding regurgitation and aspiration risks. Fasting for breast milk, formula milk, and solid food was mainly based on traditional protocols, with fasting durations of 4 h, 6 h, and 8 h, respectively. Most anesthesiologists have experienced regurgitation and aspiration, but there were significant differences in their awareness of the prevention and prognosis of regurgitation and aspiration. Utilization of gastric ultrasound was limited, with a lack of equipment and familiarity among anesthesiologists. Real preoperative fasting durations for children were significantly longer than those recommended in the guidelines. Factors contributing to prolonged fasting were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a big gap between preoperative fasting practices and the guidelines, and the real fasting durations of children before surgery are significantly longer than the guideline recommendations. Anesthesiologists should strengthen their understanding of preoperative fasting management in pediatric patients, master the skills of gastric ultrasound assessment, and timely address inefficiencies in pediatric preoperative fasting management.

Perioperative Complications in Children with Down Syndrome: A Single Center Retrospective Analysis-Original Clinical Research Report

Background/Objectives: Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal abnormality in live births in the United States. Children with DS often require anesthesia for surgery or diagnostic imaging in their lives. These children present a unique perioperative risk profile due to a combination of anatomic and physiological alterations, along with associated comorbid conditions. There are limited studies on the perioperative outcomes of children with DS. This retrospective study assesses perioperative complications in pediatric patients with DS undergoing non-cardiac surgery or diagnostic imaging under anesthesia at a single tertiary pediatric hospital. Methods: The electronic medical record at a tertiary pediatric hospital was queried for children with DS who received anesthesia for non-cardiac surgery or diagnostic imaging from May 2016 to April 2021. The primary outcomes were complications defined as readmission, reoperation, or unexpected respiratory, cardiovascular, neurologic, surgical, or gastrointestinal issues. Exclusion criteria were cardiac surgery, age > 18 years, and records with incomplete or missing data. Results: A total of 1713 anesthetic records from 711 unique patients over five years were included in the final analysis. The study found a low overall complication rate (2.98%), with respiratory events being the most common (43.1%). While most complications are short term and resolved with treatment and time; there were also several severe, life-threatening complications. Increased procedural complexity, multiple procedures, and increased procedure duration were associated with higher complication rates, whereas patient age, sex, weight, and case urgency were not associated with higher complication rates. Conclusions: Children with DS often have comorbid conditions and require multiple life-improving surgeries. Our study found the perioperative complication rate for children with Down syndrome receiving anesthesia for non-cardiac surgery or diagnostic imaging is low, comparable to the general pediatric population. The findings indicate that anesthesia is well tolerated by children with DS. However, given patients' unique anatomic and physiological differences, careful perioperative risk assessment and planning is essential. Clinical Implications: (a) What is already known about the topic: Pediatric patients with DS often require anesthesia for surgical procedures or medical imaging. They have anatomic and physiological alterations and comorbid conditions that may influence perioperative risk. (b) What new information this study adds: In a retrospective study at a tertiary pediatric hospital, patients with DS were found to have a low overall complication rate after anesthesia for non-cardiac surgery or diagnostic imaging. Increased procedural complexity, multiple procedures, and increased procedure duration were associated with higher complication rates.

Impact of perioperative organ injury on morbidity and mortality in 28 million surgical patients

Perioperative organ injury contributes to morbidity and mortality of surgical patients. This cohort study included all elective and emergent surgeries in Germany over 4 years to address the impact of perioperative organ injuries on outcomes. We analyzed 28,350,953 cases. In-hospital mortality was 1.4% (n = 393,157), and 4.4% of cases (n = 1,245,898) experienced perioperative organ injury. Perioperative organ injury was associated with 9-fold higher odds of death and prolonged hospital stay by 11.2 days. Acute kidney injury had the highest incidence (2.0%) and was associated with 25.0% mortality. While delirium had the second highest incidence (1.5%), it was associated with the lowest mortality (10.8%). This was followed by acute myocardial infarction (incidence 0.6%, mortality 15.6%), stroke (incidence 0.6%, mortality 13.1%), pulmonary embolism (incidence 0.3%, mortality 20.0%), liver injury (incidence 0.1%, mortality 68.7%), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (incidence 0.1%, mortality 44.7%). These findings help prioritize interventions for preventing or treating individual types of perioperative organ injury.

Epidemiology, Ventilation Management, and Outcomes in Invasively Ventilated Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients: An Analysis of Four Observational Studies in Four Countries on Two Continents

Epidemiology, ventilator management, and outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been described extensively but have never been compared between countries. We performed an individual patient data analysis of four observational studies to compare epidemiology, ventilator management, and outcomes. We used propensity score weighting to control for confounding factors. The analysis included 6,702 patients: 1,500 from Argentina, 844 from Brazil, 975 from the Netherlands, and 3,383 from Spain. There were substantial differences in baseline characteristics between countries. There were small differences in ventilation management. Intensive care unit mortality was higher in Argentina and Brazil compared with the Netherlands and Spain (59.6% and 56.6% versus 32.1% and 34.7%; P <0.001). The median number of days free from ventilation and alive at day 28 was equally low (0 [0-7], 0 [0-18], 1 [0-16], and 0 [0-16] days, respectively; P = 0.03), and the median number of days free from ventilation and alive at day 60 was higher in the Netherlands and Spain (0 [0-37], 0 [0-50], 33 [0-48], and 26 [0-48] days, respectively; P <0.001). Propensity score matching confirmed the outcome differences. Thus, the outcome of COVID-19 ARDS patients in Argentina and Brazil was substantially worse compared with that of patients in the Netherlands and Spain. It is unlikely that this results from differences in case mix or ventilation management.

Effects of TTP-PECS Block Under Opioid-Sparing General Anesthesia on Postoperative Analgesia and Early Recovery Quality in Patients Undergoing Modified Radical Mastectomy

INTRODUCTION

Potent analgesics such as sufentanil and remifentanil play a pivotal role in general anesthesia, but these medications have disadvantages, including respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, immune system suppression, and gastrointestinal function inhibition. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the transversus thoracic muscle plane-pectoral nerves (TTP-PECS) block on postoperative analgesia, immune function and early postoperative recovery quality in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy under opioid-sparing general anesthesia.

METHODS

A total of 100 patients scheduled for modified radical mastectomy under general anesthesia were randomly divided into the TTP-PECS block combined with opioid-sparing general anesthesia group (TO group, n = 50) or the conventional general anesthesia group (GA group, n = 50). The TO group underwent TTP-PECS block prior to induction, using oxycodone as the analgesic during induction instead of sufentanil, no additional continuous infusion of analgesic was performed intra-operatively. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at rest and during movement at different time points were recorded in both groups, and the levels of T cell subsets, natural killer (NK) cells were measured before the surgery and at 24 h and 48 h after the surgery. Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) scores were assessed at 24 h postoperatively, and the incidence of peri-operative adverse reactions was also observed in both groups.

RESULTS

Except for 48 h postoperatively, patients in the TO group had significantly lower VAS scores than those in the GA group at 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h postoperatively at rest and during movement (P < 0.05). At 24 h and 48 h postoperatively, the expression of CD4+ T cells and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio were significantly higher in the TO group than in the GA group (P < 0.05). The QoR-40 scale, assessed at 24 h postoperatively, showed that the TO group significantly outperformed the GA group in total scores as well as in sub-scores for emotional state, physical comfort, physical independence, psychological support, and pain (P < 0.05). In addition, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were lower at time points T1-T4 than at T0 in both groups (P < 0.05), but the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant(P > 0.05). The incidence of cough reflex during induction and postoperative nausea and vomiting were significantly lower in the TO group than in the GA group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of other adverse reactions (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of TTP-PECS block and oxycodone-propofol opioid-sparing general anesthesia can provide superior postoperative analgesia and reduce the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. It also alleviated the suppression of cellular immune function and improves the quality of early recovery in breast cancer patients. At the same time, opioid-sparing general anesthesia is a safe strategy for modified radical mastectomy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; ChiCTR2200066753.

Nadir heart rate as a novel risk marker of postoperative complications - A propensity matched analysis

AIM

Although vital signs have a well-described 24-h cyclic variation (circadian rhythm), this variation is often not considered in clinical vital sign monitoring despite being influenced by physiologic stress from complications. This study aimed to evaluate the lowest heart rate at night (night-nadir) (NN-HR) as a novel risk marker for serious adverse events (SAE) in postoperative patients, rather than the average nocturnal heart rate.

METHODS

This was a propensity-matched nested case-control study of continuously monitored vital sign data (heart rate (HR), respiration rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure) for up to 5 days after major non-cardiac surgery. The primary outcome was any SAE that occurred up to 24 h after a circadian value calculation. We compared NN-HR between patients who developed SAE and those who did not during similar postoperative periods.

RESULTS

Out of 588 patients, 104 (17.8 %) experienced an SAE during the monitored period and were matched with a median of 201 controls. The NN-HR was significantly higher in patients with impending SAE (median 74.0 bpm [IQR 68.2-81.8] vs. 68.3 bpm [IQR 61.5-76.0], p < 0.001). An NN-HR threshold of >67 bpm identified patients at increased risk (risk ratio 2.43, 99 % CI 1.24-5.00) for SAE, however with only moderate predictive performance (F1 score 0.58).

CONCLUSION

Absence of HR below 67 bpm at night, was significantly associated with increased SAE risk, highlighting the potential value of NN-HR as a monitoring target.The potential clinical utility of monitoring NN-HR to prevent SAE warrants further prospective investigation.

Predicting admission to and length of stay in intensive care units after general anesthesia: Time-dependent role of pre- and intraoperative data for clinical decision-making

BACKGROUND

Accurate prediction of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and length of stay (LOS) after major surgery is essential for optimizing patient outcomes and healthcare resources. Factors such as age, BMI, comorbidities, and perioperative complications significantly influence ICU admissions and LOS. Machine learning methods have been increasingly utilized to predict these outcomes, but their clinical utility beyond traditional metrics remains underexplored.

METHODS

This study examined a sub-cohort of 6043 patients who underwent general anesthesia at Seoul National University Hospital from August 2016 to June 2017. Various prediction models, including logistic regression and random forest, were developed for ICU admission and different LOS thresholds, e.g., a LOS of more than a week. Clinical utility was evaluated using decision curve analysis (DCA) across predefined risk preferences.

RESULTS

Among patients studied, 19.8 % were admitted to the ICU, with 1.4 % staying longer than a week. Prediction models demonstrated high discrimination (AUROC 0.93 to 0.96) and good calibration for ICU admission and short LOS. DCA revealed that intraoperative data provided the greatest decision-related benefit for predicting ICU admission, while preoperative data became more important for predicting longer LOS.

CONCLUSION

Intraoperative data are crucial for immediate postoperative decisions, while preoperative data are essential for extended LOS predictions. These findings highlight the need for a comprehensive risk assessment approach in perioperative care, utilizing both preoperative and intraoperative information to enhance clinical decision-making and resource allocation.

Fascial plane blocks in pediatric anesthesia: A narrative review

Regional anesthesia techniques have become a cornerstone of pain management in the adult population, providing adequate analgesia while minimizing systemic side effects. Despite the numerous benefits demonstrated in pediatric studies, the implementation of regional anesthesia in children remains insufficiently adopted in clinical settings. One primary concern preventing broader application is the potential for complications of these techniques in pediatric patients, which understandably raises apprehension among clinicians. However, the introduction of fascial plane blocks in the literature has led to a significant advancement in this field. These regional anesthesia techniques are increasingly being incorporated into routine clinical practice, as they are relatively easy to learn and apply and safe techniques. Fascial plane blocks provide adequate pain management while minimizing opioid consumption, which not only helps reduce the risk of opioid-related side effects but also contributes to a more comfortable perioperative and postoperative experience for young patients. These blocks can significantly enhance patient recovery and satisfaction by facilitating analgesia. This narrative review briefly summarizes different indications of fascial plane blocks and their effectiveness in managing pain among pediatric patients, illuminating critical points to consider when applying these techniques.

Patient outcomes after surgery in 17 Latin American countries (LASOS): a 7 day prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Access to safe surgical treatment across Latin America is limited by underfunded and fragmented health systems. Epidemiological data are required to describe surgical activity and patient outcomes.

METHODS

We did this 7 day prospective cohort study in 17 Latin American countries, collecting data describing inpatient surgery in adults (aged ≥18 years). The primary outcome was in-hospital postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, duration of hospital stay, and admission to critical care within 30 days after surgery. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05169164.

FINDINGS

Between June 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, we included 22 126 patients (mean age 49·7 years [SD 18·2]; 9260 [41·9%] male and 12 866 [58·1%] female; 10 180 [46·0%] White) from 284 hospitals. Of the 22 126 patients, 657 (3·0%) patients for the outcome of complications and 380 (1·7%) patients for mortality had missing data. Most patients were low risk (American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] grade I or II: 17 311 [78·7%] of 21 979 patients), undergoing non-major surgery (14 944 [68·0%] of 21 986 patients), and on an elective basis (14 837 [67·5%] of 21 988 patients). Despite this low-risk profile, 3163 (14·6%) of 21 632 patients developed postoperative complications resulting in 477 (2·2%) deaths. The most frequent complication category was infection, affecting 1795 (8·2%) patients. The high mortality from complications (failure to rescue) of 15·1% (477 deaths in 3163 patients with complications) suggests significant problems with postoperative care. 2978 (13·6%) patients were admitted to a critical unit immediately after surgery, but 180 (37·7%) of 477 patients who died never received critical care. Patients with complications had a median hospital stay of 8 days (IQR 3-18), compared with 2 days (1-3) for patients without complications. Postoperative mortality and complications were strongly associated with increasing ASA grade, urgency of surgery, and grade of surgery (intermediate and major).

INTERPRETATION

Patients receiving inpatient surgery in Latin America experienced high mortality rates, likely relating to standards of ward care after surgery. Given the rising demand for surgical treatments, resource-efficient measures are urgently needed to improve patient outcomes after surgery across Latin America.

FUNDING

None.

TRANSLATIONS

For the Spanish and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Laryngeal mask vs. laryngeal tube trial in paediatric patients (LaMaTuPe): a single-blinded, open-label, randomised-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

In hypoxemic children with difficult airway, or for minor elective procedures, the use of a supraglottic airway device may be preferred to endotracheal intubation, whether with a laryngeal mask or laryngeal tube. Second-generation laryngeal masks may offer a better safety profile. Whether they should be preferred to laryngeal tubes is unknown. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of second-generation laryngeal masks and laryngeal tubes in children.

METHODS

This randomised-controlled trial was conducted in a single university hospital in children <18 years undergoing elective anaesthesia in urology, minor paediatric surgery and gynaecology. Patients were 1 : 1 randomised to the laryngeal mask or laryngeal tube group. Children were allocated a second-generation laryngeal tube or a second-generation laryngeal mask as the primary airway device. The primary endpoint was insertion time. Secondary endpoints included first-attempt success, overall success and complications, which included hypoxia (SpO 2  < 90%), laryngospasm, bronchospasm, aspiration and bleeding.

RESULTS

In total, 135 patients were randomised, with 61 allocated to the laryngeal tube and 74 to the laryngeal mask group, with a median age of 5.4 and 4.9 years, respectively. Median insertion time was significantly longer in the laryngeal tube group (37 vs. 31 s; difference of medians: 6.0 s; 95% confidence interval: 0.0-13.0). The laryngeal tube had a significantly lower first-attempt (41.0%) and overall success rate (45.9%) than the laryngeal mask (90.5% and 97.3%, respectively). Those allocated to the laryngeal tube group had a higher ratio of complications (27.8%) compared to the laryngeal mask group (2.7%).

CONCLUSION

This randomised-controlled trial reported that in children undergoing elective anaesthesia, the use of a laryngeal tube was associated with a longer insertion time.

New sensors for the early detection of clinical deterioration on general wards and beyond - a clinician's perspective

The early detection of clinical deterioration could be the next significant step in enhancing patient safety in general hospital wards. Most patients do not deteriorate suddenly; instead, their vital signs are often abnormal or trending towards an abnormal range hours before severe adverse events requiring rescue intervention and/or ICU transfer. To date, at least 10 large clinical studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in severe adverse events when heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and/or respiratory rate are continuously monitored on medical and surgical wards. Continuous, silent, and automatic monitoring of vital signs also presents the opportunity to eliminate unnecessary spot-checks for stable patients. This could lead to a reduction in nurse workload, while significantly improving patient comfort, sleep quality, and overall satisfaction. Wireless and wearable sensors are particularly valuable, as they make continuous monitoring feasible even for ambulatory patients, raising questions about the future relevance of "stay-in-bed" solutions like capnography, bed sensors, and video-monitoring systems. While the number of wearable sensors and mobile monitoring solutions is rapidly growing, independent validation studies on their sensitivity and specificity in detecting abnormal vital signs in actual patients, rather than healthy volunteers, remain limited. Additionally, further research is needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using wireless wearables for vital sign monitoring both within hospital wards and at home.

Pediatric perioperative hypersensitivity in Denmark: A 20 year retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Perioperative hypersensitivity (POH) is rare but potentially life-threatening, and data on POH in children are sparse. This single-center study aimed to describe clinical presentations and allergy investigations in children with suspected POH in Denmark, and to evaluate a risk stratification algorithm used for suspected POH (elevated tryptase, 2 or more organ systems involved and urticaria/angioedema).

METHODS

Retrospective data from 70 children who had undergone allergy investigations at the specialized Danish Anaesthesia Allergy Centre were included. Children were divided into a test positive and test negative group based on results from allergy investigations, and the groups were compared. Sensitivities, specificities, positive and negative predictive values were calculated for the risk stratification algorithm for suspected POH and for different combinations of symptoms.

RESULTS

24% of the children tested positive. The most confirmed allergen was chlorhexidine (n = 3), followed by NMBAs (n = 2) and antibiotics (n = 2). Skin symptoms were most common (94%), and cardiovascular symptoms (CVS) appeared as the first symptom in 50% of the test positive children. CVS were more common in the test positive group. The risk stratification algorithm had a high sensitivity (88%) but a higher sensitivity (94%) was seen in the combination "elevated tryptase or CVS or urticaria/angioedema".

CONCLUSION

Several different allergens were confirmed in this study, including hidden allergens like chlorhexidine. This emphasizes the need to identify all potential allergens and the need for investigation at a specialized allergy center. More data are needed to make recommendations on the optimal risk stratification algorithm in children with suspected POH.

Involvement of anesthesiologists in pediatric sedation and analgesia outside the operating room in Japan: is it too late, or is there still time?

The global COVID-19 pandemic highlighted significant existing supply-demand imbalances in anesthesia workforce, particularly impacting non-operating room anesthesia. Despite documented risks and mortality rates associated with pediatric procedural sedation and analgesia (PPSA) outside the operating room (OR), there is a pressing need for improvements in safety infrastructure. Comparative analysis with international practices reveals that anesthesiologists' involvement is associated with fewer adverse events and improved outcomes. However, lower reimbursement rate for sedation and anesthesia workforce shortage, and decentralized health resources are contributing factors to limit their participation in PPSA outside the OR in Japan. Enhancing the involvement of anesthesiologists through the public health frameworks such as "high-risk approach" and "population approach" can contribute to improvement of the safety and quality of PPSA. By tackling these challenges and implementing effective solutions, anesthesiologists can play a key role in ensuring safer and more effective PPSA outside the OR. Future challenges include enhancing training, addressing reduced clinical exposure due to work style reform, and developing effective educational systems. Research on improved educational approaches and fundamental outcome indices is crucial for improving PPSA practices outside the OR.

Prediction of Mortality and Length of Hospital Stay in Geriatric Patients Undergoing Emergency General Surgery: Use of the SHARP Score

BackgroundThe need for emergency general surgery (EGS) in geriatric patients is increasing with the aging population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of SHARP score to predict mortality rate and length of hospital and emergency service stay for EGS patients.MethodsPatients aged ≥65 years who applied to the emergency service, required EGS, and underwent surgery between February 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023, were retrospectively analyzed from our hospital's information system. Demographic data (age, gender, and comorbidities), surgical diagnoses, and SHARP risk scores of the patients were evaluated. Also, 30-day mortality and length of stay in the emergency service and hospital were examined.ResultsA total of 386 patients were evaluated in this study. The mean age of these patients was 75 years (65-94). The most common cause of EGS was hernia. The cause with the highest mortality was intraabdominal perforations. The presence of malignancy and an increase in the number of comorbidities were associated with mortality. SHARP scores of 3, 4, and 5 were significantly associated with length of hospital stay and mortality.ConclusionWe recommend considering the SHARP risk score to predict mortality and length of hospital stay in geriatric EGS patients.

Prophylactic pharmacological interventions against perioperative respiratory adverse events in children undergoing noncardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Perioperative respiratory adverse event (PRAE) is one of the most common complications in pediatric anesthesia. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of perioperative pharmacological interventions to prevent the development of PRAE in children undergoing noncardiac surgery.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) of prophylactic pharmacological interventions for PRAE among surgical children from inception to 5 August 2024. Pairwise meta-analyses were conducted to compare the effects of an intervention with placebo or another intervention on overall PRAE and their subtypes, including laryngospasm, bronchospasm, oxygen desaturation, airway obstruction, coughing and stridor. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool.

RESULTS

Seven categories of prophylactic interventions were identified. Twenty-nine RCTs with 4452 children were included. Compared with placebo, lidocaine reduced the odds ratio (OR) of overall PRAE ( 0.27 [95% CI] [0.17, 0.42]) and laryngospasm (0.38 [0.22, 0.67]); dexmedetomidine reduced the OR of PRAE (0.31 [0.12, 0.76]), laryngospasm (0.31 [0.10, 0.91]), coughing (0.24 [0.14, 0.41]) and oxygen desaturation (0.54 [0.35, 0.84]); β2-adrenoreceptor agonists reduced the OR of PRAE (0.45 [0.24, 0.83]), coughing (0.36 [0.13, 0.95]) and oxygen desaturation (0.66 [0.45, 0.98]). Compared with sevoflurane induction, intravenous propofol induction lowered the OR of PRAE (0.35 [0.16, 0.74]), laryngospasm (0.17 [0.06, 0.48]) and airway obstruction (0.32 [0.17, 0.63]).

CONCLUSIONS

The meta-analysis demonstrated prophylactic potential of lidocaine, dexmedetomidine, β2-adrenoreceptor agonists and propofol induction technique against PRAE, but it should be interpreted cautiously due to inconsistent PRAE definition and correlation of subtypes within the composite outcome.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO (CRD42020220028). Registered 11 December 2020. Updated 3 September 2024.

Effect of single or multi-period use of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation on postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery: a prospective randomized double-blind trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of different periods for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopy with transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS).

DESIGN

Prospective, randomized, double-blind trial.

SETTING

An academic medical canter specializing in the care of women and children.

POPULATION OR SAMPLE

A total of 120 women were enrolled.

METHODS

Patients were randomly allocated to three groups: a single-period TEAS group (Group S, n = 40), a multi-period TEAS group (Group M, n = 40) and a non-stimulation control group (Group C, n = 40). TEAS was applied at specific acupuncture points preoperatively and postoperatively.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was the incidence and severity of PONV during the 48 h after surgery and the secondary outcomes included pain, early recovery after surgery, and complication.

RESULTS

Within postoperative 0-2 h, 4-12 h, group M had less frequency and lower scores for nausea compared with group C and group S had only less frequency of nausea compared with group C at 4-12 h postoperatively. The frequency and severity of vomiting for group M were less than group S in the postoperative 2-4 h. Group M mitigated pain and reduced the rescue antiemetic compared to group S.

CONCLUSION

Multiple-period TEAS provides greater efficacy and a longer duration of action than single-period TEAS. It effectively reduces PONV in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery which could be a new option in multimodal prophylactic antiemetic regimes for perioperative undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trials Registry, No. ChiCTR2200065802, Registered 15/11/2022. https//www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit? pid=175,377.

Predictors of Perioperative Respiratory Adverse Events in Children Undergoing Surgery for Oropharyngeal Cleft Deformity: A Prospective Observational Study (PRAE-OPCD Study)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Children with oropharyngeal cleft deformity (OPCD) undergoing reconstructive surgery are at greater risk for perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs). Predictors for PRAE specific to this population have not been investigated, despite it being the most common congenital malformation seen worldwide.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This single-center, prospective, observational study recruited 270 children under 2 years of age, undergoing elective cleft surgery from May 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The primary aim was to identify predictors of pre-determined PRAE (laryngospasm, bronchospasm, stridor, airway obstruction and desaturation). We also aimed to identify the more common PRAE in this patient population.

RESULTS

Of the 345 children who underwent cleft correction surgery, 270 were included in the study. There was a statistically increased incidence of PRAE in children with a positive history of upper airway obstruction and a history of feeding disorder in early infancy, Cormack Lehane (CL) grade ≥ 3, and COLDS score ≥ 15. A significant association was found between the COLDS score (odds ratio [OR]: 0.005, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.001-0.049), CL grade ≥ 3 (OR: 0.008, 95% CI: 0.001-0.078) and PRAE.COLDS score ≥ 15 (p = 0.046; adjusted OR [AOR]: 18.07, 95% CI: 1.06-308.45) and CL grade ≥ 3 (p = 0.007; AOR: 41.79, 95% CI: 2.74-636.40) were associated with PRAEs in the multivariate regression. The overall incidence of PRAE was 1.85%, laryngospasm being the most common.

CONCLUSION

Children with OPCD with higher COLDS scores and/or those with a CL grade view ≥ 3 are more likely to develop PRAE following corrective surgery. The limited data indicate the increased possibility of PRAE in children with a positive history of airway obstruction and/or feeding disorder in early infancy. The relatively low incidence of PRAE restricts the generalizability.

Advances in acute respiratory distress syndrome: focusing on heterogeneity, pathophysiology, and therapeutic strategies

In recent years, the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been gradually increasing. Despite advances in supportive care, ARDS remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. ARDS is characterized by acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure with diffuse pulmonary inflammation and bilateral edema due to excessive alveolocapillary permeability in patients with non-cardiogenic pulmonary diseases. Over the past seven decades, our understanding of the pathology and clinical characteristics of ARDS has evolved significantly, yet it remains an area of active research and discovery. ARDS is highly heterogeneous, including diverse pathological causes, clinical presentations, and treatment responses, presenting a significant challenge for clinicians and researchers. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the latest advancements in ARDS research, focusing on its heterogeneity, pathophysiological mechanisms, and emerging therapeutic approaches, such as cellular therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. Moreover, we also examine the pathological characteristics of COVID-19-related ARDS and discuss the corresponding therapeutic approaches. In the face of challenges posed by ARDS heterogeneity, recent advancements offer hope for improved patient outcomes. Further research is essential to translate these findings into effective clinical interventions and personalized treatment approaches for ARDS, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients suffering from ARDS.

Racial Disparities in Pediatric Anesthesia: An Updated Review

Health care disparities affect care across all medical fields, including pediatric anesthesia. Recent studies have revealed differences in pediatric perioperative care especially in anesthetic and analgesic choices. Additionally, Black children face higher 30 day postoperative mortality and more serious adverse events compared to White children. While strategies to address these disparities have been proposed, significant work is still needed.

Barriers and enablers to recruiting participants within paediatric perioperative and anaesthetic settings: lessons learned from a trial of melatonin versus midazolam in the premedication of anxious children (the MAGIC trial)

Background

Poor recruitment is one key reason for premature closure of randomised controlled trials. The Melatonin for Anxiety prior to General Anaesthesia In Children (MAGIC) trial was a multicentre randomised controlled trial of melatonin vs midazolam in the premedication of anxious children, before surgery. The trial ran between 2019 and 2022, closing early because of recruitment futility. This paper describes the challenges that arose during the trial and offers recommendations for the design of future perioperative trials.

Methods

A case-based approach was used to identify barriers to recruitment. As part of a qualitative sub-study, semi-structured interviews with local site teams, participants, and caregivers also explored barriers and enablers to recruitment.

Results

Issues encountered included time sensitivity within pressured environments; feasibility of paediatric assent; research pharmacy availability; variation in anaesthetist equipoise; multifactorial decision-making issues in premedication selection; and the Associate Principal Investigator scheme being unable to support trials within anaesthetic trainee rotations. Future paediatric perioperative medicine trials could consider funding for research pharmacy outside of working hours; conducting risk assessments for study drugs to be held on theatre admission units; and a tailored design of site feasibility assessments to help address variation in practice. Challenges remain for the feasibility of including anaesthetic trainees within the Associate Principal Investigator scheme structure.

Conclusions

There are significant challenges to recruitment for paediatric clinical trials in anaesthesia and perioperative medicine. The MAGIC trial highlighted variations within anaesthetic practice at individual, local, and regional levels. Lessons learned from the MAGIC trial identifies specific barriers to paediatric trial enrolment, offer solutions and discusses ongoing challenges.

Clinical trial registration

ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN18296119.

Reviewing "Nil Per Os" Guidance for Clear Fluids in Children Before Anesthesia: Survey of the Pediatric Anesthesia Leadership Council

BACKGROUND

Several international pediatric anesthesia societies have endorsed a change in the traditional nil per os (NPO) cutoff of clear fluids (CF) from 2 hours to 1 hour. These recommendations were compiled from large-scale outcomes, gastric ultrasound, and quality improvement studies. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) recently published their updated guidelines. Despite the lack of prospective randomized studies with conclusive outcomes, several major children's health systems in North America have already implemented or are modifying their institutional guidelines for CF. The objectives of this survey were to evaluate the current practices, changing trends, perceived benefits, and barriers in reducing the NPO times for CF in children presenting for anesthesia.

METHODS

After approval from the Penn State University Institutional Review Board, an electronic survey of the Pediatric Anesthesia Leadership Council (PALC, consortium of Pediatric Anesthesiology Chairs and Division Chiefs across the United States) members was conducted by the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Quality and Safety Committee (SPA-QS) NPO Clears Task Force between June 2023 and October 2023. Inclusion criteria were PALC membership and single response from each institution.

RESULTS

A total of 88 member institutions were represented by the PALC group. The final response rate was 75 of 88 (85.2%) from across 33 states. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents belonged to a tertiary pediatric center, and 94.7% belonged to an academic setting. At the time of the survey, 8 out of 75 (10.6%) responding institutions followed 1-hour CF cutoff, 7 (9.3%) were in the process of changing to 1-hour and 60 (80%) followed a 2-hour cutoff. 55(73%) respondents actively encouraged CF up to the time they had to be NPO. 46.7% of the respondents reported significant issues (hypoglycemia, dehydration, difficulty in establishing intravenous access, patient and parental dissatisfaction) with prolonged fasting in children. The survey responses included multiple comments in favor of changing guidelines to 1 hour for CF in healthy young children. The overarching concern for implementation of 1-hour cutoff for CF was the potential medicolegal ramification of a policy change in the absence of an official statement from national professional societies.

CONCLUSIONS

The survey demonstrates growing trends toward implementing the reduced NPO time for CF to 1 hour nationally. Based on the current ASA guidelines, the SPA-QS committee recommends close attention to NPO times and strongly encourages CF consumption up to the recommended cutoff time. It appears reasonable to follow a 1-hour cutoff for CF as deemed appropriate by the attending anesthesiologist or the institution.

Association of rapid response system with clinical outcomes after surgery under general anesthesia

BACKGROUND

In this population-based cohort study involving a nationwide database from South Korea, we aimed to determine whether rapid response system (RRS) implementation is associated with mortality and morbidity after surgery under general anesthesia.

METHODS

Patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia at the hospital between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. Patients admitted to hospitals with an RRS were categorized into the RRS group, whereas those without an RRS were categorized into the non-RRS group. The endpoints were 30-day mortality, 90-day mortality, and CPR performance in the event of cardiac arrest.

RESULTS

A total of 1,416,844 patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia were included. The RRS and non-RRS groups included 512,911 and 903,933 patients, respectively. After propensity score (PS) matching, 447,998 patients were included in both groups (223,999 patients per group). In the PS-matched cohort, compared with the non-RRS group, the RRS group had 7 % (odds ratio [OR]: 0.93, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.89, 0.97; P = 0.001), 6 % (OR: 0.94, 95 % CI: 0.91, 0.97; P < 0.001), and 9 % (OR: 0.91, 95 % CI: 0.83, 0.98; P = 0.020) lower incidences of 30-day mortality, 90-day mortality, and CPR, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The RRS group had lower 30-day and 90-day mortality rates than the non-RRS group after surgery under general anesthesia. Moreover, RRS was associated with a lower rate of CPR episodes resulting from cardiac arrest in patients undergoing general anesthesia after surgery.

A Survey of Sedation Practices for Adolescents and Young Adults With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Undergoing Lumbar Puncture

PURPOSE

Lumbar puncture is a frequently performed procedure for patients undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This brief procedure is frequently performed with sedation in young patients but with only local anesthesia in adults. Adolescent and young adult patients may be cared for by physicians with different training backgrounds and sedation preferences, making the utilization of sedation for lumbar punctures variable among providers. The benefits of sedation for young adults with leukemia undergoing lumbar puncture (analgesia, anxiolysis, safety) must be weighed against the obligate fasting interval, hospital cost, and resource allocation that is required.

METHODS

We conducted a survey of pediatric and medical oncologists who care for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia to assess their use of sedation for adolescents and young adults undergoing lumbar punctures as part of their cancer therapy. (see Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JPHO/A723 ).

RESULTS

Twenty-six percent of pediatric oncologists and 28% of medical oncologists completed the survey. Pediatric oncologists were more likely to perform lumbar punctures under sedation as compared with medical oncologists. This pattern remained consistent across all patient age ranges surveyed, despite no significant difference in the expected cumulative number of lumbar punctures that a patient was to undergo. Medical oncologists reported topicalization with local anesthetics before lumbar puncture more often than pediatric oncologists.

CONCLUSION

Sedation practices for lumbar puncture during acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment varies by specialty of treating oncologist.

Age-Specific Plasma Concentration, Efficacy and Safety of Ciprofol (Cipepofol) for Induction and Maintenance of General Anesthesia in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery: A Single-Arm Prospective, Pragmatic Trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Ciprofol (Cipepofol) currently has well-established clinical research data in adult Chinese patients, but there is a lack of reliable research data in pediatric patients. This study aimed to assess the age-specific plasma concentration, efficacy and safety profiles of cipepofol in pediatric patients aged 2-17 years during the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia.

METHODS

This was a single-arm, open-label, prospective, pragmatic study conducted in the Hunan Children's Hospital from May 10, 2023 to August 25, 2023, that involved pediatric patients undergoing elective surgery after the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Cipepofol was administered as an intravenous bolus injection of 0.6 mg/kg (patients aged 2-11 years) or 0.5 mg/kg (12-17 years) for induction, followed by an initial maintenance infusion of 1.2 mg/kg/h or 1.4 mg/kg/h, respectively. The primary endpoint-plasma concentration of cipepofol was measured using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method. The age-specific plasma concentration, efficacy and safety profiles of cipepofol are summarized using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

All 38 enrolled patients completed the study, including 14 children aged 2-5 years, 12 children aged 6-11 years and 12 children aged 12-17 years. The trends of plasma concentration variations among patients in the three age groups were largely consistent. The success rates of anesthesia induction and maintenance for patients in the three groups were both 100%, and no patients required rescue medication. Children aged 2 to 5 years had the longest median durations of successful anesthetic induction (1.1 min) and eyelash reflection disappearance (1.2 min), while the median durations for patients aged 6-11 years and those aged 12-17 years (0.5 and 0.5 min) were similar. The median time to extubation and length of stay in the post-anesthesia care unit tended to be the longest in children aged 6-11 years (23.5 and 30.0 min) but were comparable for those aged 2-5 years (10.5 min and 20.0 min) and 12-17 years (11.0 and 20.0 min). The median time to full alertness tended to decrease with increasing age (33.7 vs 25.8 vs 22.7 min). A total of 4 (10.5%) patients experienced treatment-emergent adverse events in those aged 2-5 years or 12-17 years, with a severity of grade 1 or grade 2.

CONCLUSION

Cipepofol had good safety for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia in pediatric patients aged over 2 years. The dosing regimen with an intravenous bolus injection of 0.5 mg/kg for induction, followed by an initial maintenance infusion of 1.4 mg/kg/h was adequate for children aged 12-17 years; age-specific dose regimen for children aged 2-11 years should be improved by further large-scale prospective studies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ChiCTR2400085640, July 14, 2024, retrospectively registered.

Clinical context and communication in shared decision-making about major surgery: Findings from a qualitative study with colorectal, orthopaedic and cardiac patients

Increasing numbers of older people undergo major surgery in the United Kingdom (UK), with many at high risk of complications due to age, co-morbidities or frailty. This article reports on a study of such patients and their clinicians engaged in shared decision-making. Shared decision-making is a collaborative approach that seeks to value and centre patients' preferences, potentially addressing asymmetries of knowledge and power between clinicians and patients by countering medical authority with greater patient empowerment. We studied shared decision-making practices in the context of major surgery by recruiting 16 patients contemplating either colorectal, cardiac or joint replacement surgery in the UK National Health Service (NHS). Over 18 months 2019-2020, we observed and video-recorded decision-making consultations, studied the organisational and clinical context for consultations, and interviewed patients and clinicians about their experiences of making decisions. Linguistic ethnography, the study of communication and interaction in context, guided us to analyse the interplay between interactions (during consultations between clinicians, patients and family members) and clinical and organisational features of the contexts for those interactions. We found that the framing of consultations as being about life-saving or life-enhancing procedures was important in producing three different genres of consultations focused variously on: resolving problems, deliberation of options and evaluation of benefits of surgery. We conclude that medical authority persists, but can be used to create more deliberative opportunities for decision-making through amending the context for consultations in addition to adopting appropriate communication practices during surgical consultations.

Clinical practice and outcomes in European pediatric cardiac anesthesia: A secondary analysis of the APRICOT and NECTARINE studies

BACKGROUND

Despite advancements in surgical techniques and perioperative care, pediatric cardiac patients remain at an increased risk of adverse events. The APRICOT (2017) study aimed to establish the incidence of severe critical events in children undergoing anesthesia in Europe, while the NECTARINE (2021) study aimed to assess anesthesia practices and outcomes in neonates and infants under 60 weeks postconceptual age. Our goal was to conduct a secondary analysis of the cardiac cohorts from these two studies to determine mortality rates and other outcomes after cardiac procedures at 30 and 90 days, identify factors influencing mortality, illustrate clinical practices, and assess the methodology of the two studies.

METHODS

Sub-analysis of the data from APRICOT and NECTARINE. Data representativity was assessed through a systematic categorization process. European countries were divided into four income groups based on their gross national income per capita. Subsequently, the total number of patients across all four income groups was calculated for both the Apricot and Nectarine studies, and then the specific contribution of each income group to the total population of each study was determined.

RESULTS

This analysis comprised 1016 cases (Apricot, n = 476 and Nectarine, n = 540). There was a considerable variability in clinical practice in Europe. The overall mortality rates were 0.84% (APRICOT) and 8.1% (NECTARINE). In both cohorts, substantial mortality was observed among low-age and low-weight infants. Stratifying the participating countries by income illustrated that the data originated from highest-income and upper-middle-income European countries and were not representative of low-income and middle-income countries.

CONCLUSIONS

In this secondary analysis of the APRICOT and NECTARINE studies, we found that fatal cases primarily occurred in low-age and low-weight neonates and infants.

EDITORIAL COMMENT

This secondary analysis of the APRICOT and NECTARINE studies focused on pediatric cardiac surgical cases. Outcomes differed according to weight and age of the children, where mortality risk was higher for very young and low-weight children.

The side effects of the pandemic on all-cause postoperative mortality in a COVID reference Hospital in Brazil: a before and after cohort study with 15156 patients

BACKGROUND

Before the pandemic, healthcare systems in Low-Middle Income Countries (LMIC) experienced a limited capacity to treat postoperative complications. It is uncertain whether the interference of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on surgical systems has increased postoperative mortality.

METHODS

This before and after cohort study aimed to assess the pandemic's impact on in-hospital postoperative mortality in a university COVID-19 reference hospital in southern Brazil. Data from patients who underwent surgery before (January 2018 to December 2019) the pandemic were compared to data from patients who underwent surgery during the pandemic (February to December 2020). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. We developed Poisson regression models to examine the mortality risk of being operated on during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

We assessed 15156 surgical patients, 12207 of whom underwent surgery before the pandemic and 2949 during the first year of the pandemic. Mortality rates were 2.5% (309/12207) in the pre-pandemic versus 7.2% (212/2949) in the pandemic. Of these, 25.8% (32/124) of patients with COVID-19 and 6.4% (80/2816) of patients without COVID-19 died. The proportion of urgent surgeries and ASA-PS III was higher in the pandemic group. After adjusting for mortality-related variables, the Relative Risk (RR) associated with undergoing surgery during the pandemic was 1.51 (95% CI 1.27 to 1.79). We excluded COVID-19-positive to perform a sensitivity analysis that confirmed the increased risk of undergoing surgery during the pandemic RR = 1.50 (95% CI 1.27 to 1.78).

CONCLUSION

The substantial number of additional deaths, even amongst those without COVID-19 infection, suggests the pandemic disrupted the surgical service in an LMIC context. Fragile surgical systems may suffer more significant adverse impacts from external stressors such as a pandemic, and urging measures are needed to increase their performance and resilience.

Intraoperative Anesthesia-Related Critical Events in Low-Resource Hospitals During Short-Term Surgical Missions in Tanzania and Democratic Republic of the Congo: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Critical incidents and mortality related to anesthesia are more frequently observed in low- and middle-income countries in comparison to high-income countries. The difficulties linked to anesthesia in rural areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Tanzania have limited documentation. The aim of this study was to comprehensively document anesthesia-related critical events that occurred during surgical missions organized by the nongovernmental organization 2 nd Chance in hospitals in DRC and Tanzania.

METHODS

Data were collected during 6 surgical missions in 3 hospitals in the DRC and 1 in Tanzania. All scheduled surgery patients were included. Anesthesia was administered by a local Non-Physician Anesthesia Provider (NPAP), using local resources, under the supervision of an anesthesiologist from the association. The anesthesiologist reported critical events and collected data. Local teams managed critical events initially, with intervention by the anesthesiologist from 2 nd Chance on the local team's request, according to preestablished protocol or if the situation was considered dangerous. Critical incidents associated with anesthesia, including bradycardia, hypoxemia, airway management failure, and equipment problems, were documented from induction of anesthesia until discharge from the recovery room.

RESULTS

We recruited 201 patients, of whom 192 were evaluated, with 9 patients dropping out due to protocol noncompliance. All patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I (62%; n = 120) or ASA II (38%; n = 72). Among them, 104 individuals (54%) experienced at least 1 critical event, totaling 202 critical events. Hypoxemia emerged as the most common event, affecting 29% of the patients (n = 55) with at least 1 episode. Equipment problems (oxygen supply and/or anesthesia machine failure) occurred in 24% of cases (n = 46), airway management issues in 23% (n = 44), and bradycardia in 6% (n = 12). Hypotension and hypertension were not documented due to the lack of monitoring. The majority of these events (over 60%) required intervention by the anesthesiologist.

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of critical events related to anesthesia appears to be high in this study. Due to numerous limitations, these results cannot be generalized to all hospitals in Tanzania and the DRC. However, this study underscores the challenges faced by anesthesia teams, encompassing inadequate resources, equipment deficiencies, and varying levels of expertise among anesthesia personnel. The research further stresses the significance of addressing these challenges to enhance patient safety.

Association Between Nurse Staffing Coverage and Patient Outcomes in a Context of Prepandemic Structural Understaffing: A Patient-Unit-Level Analysis

Objective: To evaluate the association between nurse staffing coverage and patient outcomes in a context of structural understaffing. Design: This is a population-based, cross-sectional, multicenter study, including patient and staffing data from eight public hospitals from Catalonia, Spain. Participants: A total of 183,085 adult in-patients admitted to hospital wards and step-down units during 2016 and 2017. Outcomes: In-hospital mortality, 30-day hospital readmission, and three cluster nurse-sensitive adverse events: healthcare-acquired infections, failure to maintain, and avoidable critical complications. The study factor is safe nursing staffing equivalent to nurse staffing coverage > 90%. Results: Average patient acuity was equivalent to 4.5 required nursing hours per patient day. The mean available nursing hours per patient day was 2.6. The average nurse staffing coverage reached 65.5%. Overall, 1.9% of patients died during hospitalization, 5% were readmitted within 30 days, and 15.9% experienced one or more adverse events. Statistically significant differences were identified for all patient outcomes when comparing patients safely covered (nurse staffing coverage > 90%) and under-covered (nurse staffing coverage < 90%). Increasing nurse staffing coverage to a safe level (> 90%) is associated with a reduction of the risk of death (RR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.37-0.45), a decrease in the risk of hospital readmission (RR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.89-0.97), and a reduction of nurse-sensitive adverse events (RR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.66-0.69). Conclusion: Safe nurse staffing coverage acts as a protective factor for detrimental patient outcomes, significantly reducing the risk of in-hospital mortality, 30-day hospital readmission, healthcare-associated infections, failure to maintain, and avoidable critical complications. Further policy efforts are needed to guarantee a safe registered nurse staffing coverage.