[General anesthesia for ambulatory surgery : Clinical pharmacological considerations on the practical approach]

The safety and efficacy of alfentanil combined with midazolam in fiberoptic bronchoscopy sedation: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial

Sedation is recommended by most guidelines to be offered to all patients undergoing diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy (DFB) without contraindications, and the most commonly reported regimen is midazolam in combination with a short-acting opioid (fentanyl or alfentanil) to provide both sedative and antitussive effects. However, the optimal dose or ideal regimen of the combination therapy with midazolam and opioids has not yet been found. So this randomized, double-blinded clinical trial was designed and registered (ChiCTR2100049052) to assess the safety and efficacy of midazolam combined with different doses of alfentanil in DFB sedation. Our study showed that relative high doses of alfentanil (10–25 μg/kg) combined with a fixed low dose of midazolam can markedly reduce hemodynamic fluctuations, cough reactions, patients’ discomforts, and improve their satisfaction in a dose-dependent manner during DFB, with no significant increase in the desaturation risks.

Anaesthetic Drug Choices of Senior Anaesthetists: An Observational Analysis of Medication Habits in a Tertiary Hospital

Objective

Various drugs are available for general anaesthesia, and the anaesthesiologist in charge may choose the one that is considered as the most appropriate for each specific case. When selecting an anaesthetic drug, its specific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics as well as certain non-pharmacological properties have to be considered. This may lead to decisions that may be justified or unjustified according to scientific evidence and local standards.

Methods

In a prospective, single-centre, non-randomised and non-interventional study, 30 attending anaesthetists were interviewed about their drug prescription for general anaesthesia cases scheduled for the next day. The stated reasons for their choices from available alternatives were recorded and analysed for being justified or unjustified.

Results

We found 69% of all decisions as justified, while 31% were incorrect, unjustified or random. Female anaesthetists made 83%±15% justified decisions, whereas males achieved a lower performance with 69%±17% justified decisions (p=0.046).

Conclusion

To a large proportion, convenience, habit and personal preferences influence the decision-making in choosing the anaesthetic medication. A change of paradigm in the postgraduate education and training seems to be necessary.

[Otorhinolaryngology in the field of demography, growing outpatient care and regionalization]

BACKGROUND

Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) departments are strongly affected by current changes in the reimbursement schemes for inpatients. The study was designed to investigate these effects on the ENT Department in Rostock and selected comparison clinics, as well as to outline solutions.

METHODS

We analyzed diagnosis-related group (DRG) reports of the ENT Clinic at Rostock University Medical Center from 2013 to 2015, according to the size of the outpatient potential. Comparisons were made with other surgical departments such as maxillofacial surgery and ophthalmology in terms of average length of stay and the resulting deductibles. We also compared billing as day surgery and complete outpatient surgery for the main small surgical procedures such as tonsillectomy and septum surgery. Finally, we compared the discounts with 22 ENT departments in other maximum care hospitals.

RESULTS

The average case mix index of an ENT department in Germany is 0.75, case load average of 2,500 patients and common length of stay 4.1 days. In a typical academic ENT department as in Rostock, health plans usually discount around 500 T€ (thousand euro), which is considerably higher than comparable departments, e.g., oral and maxillofacial surgery or ophthalmology departments. However, discounts on a DRG for inpatient surgery is still approximately 1,000 € more revenue than surgery in an outpatient setting. The benchmark analysis shows that health plans in rural areas are more likely to accept inpatient surgery with discounts for small procedures than strict billing according to outpatient reimbursement schemes.

CONCLUSION

These effects can result in an insufficient cost effectiveness of ENT departments in Germany. As a consequence, substantial restructuring of the in- and outpatient treatment seems necessary, also for academic ENT departments, e.g., in the form of day surgery or ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient clinics with special contracts and specialized inpatient surgery. However, this results in greater demands on the training of young physicians and management of patient flows within the department.