Preventing slide in Trendelenburg position: randomized trial comparing foam and gel pads

Preventing patient positioning injuries in the nonoperating room setting

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Postprocedural positioning injuries are an under-appreciated source of morbidity for patients. These injuries may not present until days after anesthesia and may be missed for multiple reasons including the distracting injury of the procedural site, illness of the patient, lack of follow-up, and insufficient awareness of this type of injury. Risks for these adverse events are exacerbated in the nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) population for several reasons. These patients tend to be older and sicker than patients presenting to the operating room, increasing the risk of an injury. Proceduralists and anesthesia providers are usually consultants, not the primary care team, so may have limited patient follow-up. This review will discuss the risk factors for position-related injuries and how to prevent them with proper positioning and padding.

RECENT FINDINGS

The mainstay of preventing periprocedural positioning injuries is careful positioning of the patient and proper padding of pressure points. This may be particularly challenging because of physical constraints and positioning requirements for NORA procedures, as well as preference for radiolucent positioning materials. Recent studies have shown the potential benefit of monitoring somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) in high-risk patients.

SUMMARY

Careful consideration of patient positioning and thorough understanding of peripheral nerve and pressure injuries is essential for anesthesia providers to avoid positioning injuries during NORA procedures.

VIDEO ABSTRACT

http://links.lww.com/COAN/A87.

Decreasing the prospect of upper extremity neuropraxia during robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy: a novel technique

Risk of intraoperative neuropathic injury in minimally invasive surgery has been established as a leading complication. Continuous intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM), such as upper extremity somatosensory evoked potentials (ueSSEPs), to decrease peripheral nerve injury due to positional stress has been described. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) requires steep Trendelenberg, which may predispose patients to upper extremity neuropraxia. Subdermal stimulating electrodes were placed on the patients' bilateral wrists over the ulnar nerve and the nerve was stimulated. Realtime waveforms were compared to baseline data to prevent and detect injury to the ulnar nerve. Established intervention criteria, indicating risk for neuropathic damage necessitating intraoperative patient repositioning, was a 50% loss in amplitude or a 10% increase in latency. One hundred and forty three patients received RALP with IONM. 17 of 143 patients (11.8%) met ueSSEP intervention criteria. Only weight was significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.04). Mean reduction in amplitude was 79.9% (SE 4.1). Average amplitude loss duration was 22 min (SE 4.0). Weight and BMI were correlated to the degree of amplitude reduction (p = 0.03 and < 0.01), while operative time and DM approached significance (p = 0.09 and p = 0.14). This is the first study to use IONM to reduce the risk of nerve injury during genitourinary surgery. Realtime nerve monitoring using ueSSEP allowed for upper extremity intraoperative monitoring and repositioning. This may decrease the risk of upper extremity neuropraxia due to malpositioning during RALP. Weight and BMI were identified as risk factors for possible nerve injury. Further data collection and analysis to preoperatively stratify patients for application of IONM during RALP is currently ongoing.

Evaluation of Positioning Devices for Optimization of Outcomes in Laparoscopic and Robotic-Assisted Gynecologic Surgery

In this review, we evaluate techniques, devices, and equipment for patient positioning and their effect on patient outcomes, such as cephalad slide and neuropathy, in laparoscopic and robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery. We conducted a systematic review by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library for relevant articles published over a 15-year period. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed by 2 reviewers independently. Seven articles, including 3 randomized controlled trials and 4 case series, were included in our analysis. Four studies evaluated cephalad patient slide. In 2 randomized controlled trials (n = 103), the mean slide with various devices (i.e., memory foam, bean bag with shoulder braces, egg crate, and gel pad) ranged from 1.07 ± 1.93 cm to 4.5 ± 4.0 cm. The use of a bean bag with shoulder supports/braces was associated with minimal slide, with a median slide of 0 cm (range, 0-2 cm) in a retrospective series and with mean slide of 1.07 ± 1.93 cm in a randomized controlled trial (vs memory foam). No conclusive effect of body mass index on slide could be identified. Five studies evaluating the incidence of neuropathy found an overall incidence of 0.16% and no differences among slide-preventing devices. The minimal slide described across studies supports the conclusion that any of the currently used devices and techniques for safe patient positioning are within reason. The low overall incidence of neuropathy is also reassuring. Best evidence recommendations cannot be made for a specific device or technique; our findings suggest the importance of strict adherence to the basic tenets of safe patient positioning to minimize slide and prevent nerve injury.

Patient positioning during minimally invasive surgery: what is current best practice?

Introduction

Positioning injuries are a known surgical complication and can result in significant patient morbidity. Studies have shown a small but significant number of neurovascular injuries associated with minimally invasive surgery, due to both patient and case-specific factors. We sought to review the available literature in regards to pathophysiological and practical recommendations.

Methods

A literature search was conducted and categorized by level of evidence, with emphasis on prospective studies. The result comprised 14 studies, which were summarized and analyzed with respect to our study objectives.

Results

While incidence of positioning injury has been identified in up to one-third of prospective populations, its true prevalence after surgery is likely 2%-5%. The mechanism is thought to be intraneural disruption from stretching or pressure, which results in decreased perfusion. On a larger scale, this vascular compromise can lead to ischemia and rhabdomyolysis. Prevention hinges on addressing patient modifiable factors such as body mass index, judicious positioning with appropriate devices, and intraoperative team awareness consisting of recurrent extremity checks and time management.

Conclusion

The risk for positioning injuries is underappreciated. Surgeons who perform minimally invasive surgery should discuss the potential for these complications with their patients, and operative teams should take steps to minimize risk factors.