Association of post-operative ICU requirements with early extubation in the fontan procedure

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the association between early extubation (EE) and the degree of postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) support after the Fontan procedure, specifically evaluating the volume of postoperative intravenous fluid (IVF) and vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS).

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of patients who underwent Fontan palliation from 2008 to 2018 at a single center was completed. Patients were initially divided into pre-institutional initiative towards EE (control) and post-initiative (modern) cohorts. Differences between the cohorts were assessed using t-test, Wilcoxon, or chi-Square. Following stratification by early or late extubation, four groups were compared via ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis Test.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in the rate of EE between the control and modern cohorts (mean 42.6 versus 75.7%, p = 0.01). The modern cohort demonstrated lower median VIS (5 versus 8, p = 0.002), but higher total mean IVF (101±42 versus 82 ±27 cc/kg, p < 0.001) versus control cohort. Late extubated (LE) patients in the modern cohort had the highest VIS and IVF requirements. This group received 67% more IVF (140 ± 53 versus 84 ± 26 cc/kg, p < 0.001) and had a higher median VIS at 24 hours (10 (IQR, 5-10) versus 4 (IQR, 2-7), p < 0.001) versus all other groups. In comparison, all EE patients had a 5-point lower median VIS when compared to LE patients (3 versus 8, p= 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

EE following the Fontan procedure is associated with reduced post-operative VIS. LE patients in the modern cohort received more IVF, potentially identifying a high-risk subgroup of Fontan patients deserving of further investigation.

Regional anesthesia as part of enhanced recovery strategies in pediatric cardiac surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review article was to highlight the enhanced recovery protocols in pediatric cardiac surgery, including early extubation, rapid mobilization and recovery, reduction of opioid-related side effects, and length of pediatric ICU and hospital stay, resulting in decreased costs and perioperative morbidity, by introducing recent trends in perioperative anesthesia management combined with peripheral nerve blocks.

RECENT FINDINGS

Efficient postoperative pain relief is essential for realizing enhanced recovery strategies, especially in pediatric patients. It has been reported that approaches to perioperative pain management using additional peripheral nerve blocks ensure early extubation and a shorter duration of ICU and hospital stay. This article provides an overview of several feasible musculofascial plane blocks to achieve fast-track anesthesia management for pediatric cardiac surgery.

SUMMARY

Recent remarkable advances in combined ultrasound techniques have made it possible to perform various peripheral nerve blocks. The major strategy underlying fast-track anesthesia management is to achieve good analgesia while reducing perioperative opioid use. Furthermore, it is important to consider early extubation not only as a competition for time to extubation but also as the culmination of a qualitative improvement in the outcome of treatment for each patient.

Postoperative Outcomes of Analgesic Management with Erector Spine Plane Block at T5 Level in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery with Sternotomy: A Cohort Study

Introduction

There is limited evidence on the impact of erector spinae plane block (ESPB) as part of multimodal analgesia in pediatric population undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients under 18 years of age, who underwent cardiac surgery Risk Adjusted classification for Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) ≤3 by sternotomy. The study aims to evaluate the effect of ESPB as part of multimodal analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery compared to conventional analgesia (CA) on relevant clinical outcomes: length of hospital stay, length of ICU stay, opioid consumption, time to extubation, mortality, and postoperative complications. The participants included were treated in a reference hospital in Colombia from July 2019 to June 2022.

Results

Eighty participants were included, 40 in the ESPB group and 40 in the CA group. There was a significant decrease (Log rank test p = 0.007) in days to length of hospital stay in ESPB group (median 6.5 days (IQR: 4-11)) compared to the CA group (median 10.5 days (IQR: 6-25)). Likewise, there was a higher probability of discharge from the ICU in the ESPB group (HR 1.71 (95% CI: 1.05-2.79)). The ESPB group had lower opioid consumption (p < 0.05). There were no differences in time to extubation, mortality, and postoperative complications.

Conclusion

ESPB as part of multimodal analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery is feasible and associated with shorter hospital length of stay, faster ICU discharge and lower opioid consumption.

A simple-to-use nomogram for predicting prolonged mechanical ventilation for children after Ebstein anomaly corrective surgery: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) after pediatric cardiac surgery imposes a great burden on patients in terms of morbidity, mortality as well as financial costs. Ebstein anomaly (EA) is a rare congenital heart disease, and few studies have been conducted about PMV in this condition. This study aimed to establish a simple-to-use nomogram to predict the risk of PMV for EA children.

METHODS

The retrospective study included patients under 18 years who underwent corrective surgeries for EA from January 2009 to November 2021. PMV was defined as postoperative mechanical ventilation time longer than 24 hours. Through multivariable logistic regression, we identified and integrated the risk factors to develop a simple-to-use nomogram of PMV for EA children and internally validated it by bootstrapping. The calibration and discriminative ability of the nomogram were determined by calibration curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

Two hundred seventeen children were included in our study of which 44 (20.3%) were in the PMV group. After multivariable regression, we obtained five risk factors of PMV. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were as follows: preoperative blood oxygen saturation, 0.876(0.805,0.953); cardiothoracic ratio, 3.007(1.107,8.169); Carpentier type, 4.644(2.065,10.445); cardiopulmonary bypass time, 1.014(1.005,1.023) and postoperative central venous pressure, 1.166(1.016,1.339). We integrated the five risk factors into a nomogram to predict the risk of PMV. The area under ROC curve of nomogram was 0.805 (95% CI, 0.725,0.885) and it also provided a good discriminative information with the corresponding Hosmer-Lemeshow p values > 0.05.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a nomogram by integrating five independent risk factors. The nomogram is a practical tool to early identify children at high-risk for PMV after EA corrective surgery.

Effect of differences in extubation timing on postoperative pneumonia following meningioma resection: a retrospective cohort study

Background

This study was designed to examine extubation time and to determine its association with postoperative pneumonia (POP) after meningioma resection.

Methods

We studied extubation time for 598 patients undergoing meningioma resection from January 2016 to December 2020. Extubation time was analysed as a categorical variable and patients were grouped into extubation within 21 minutes, 21–35 minutes and ≥ 35 minutes. Our primary outcome represented the incidence of POP. The association between extubation time and POP was assessed using multivariable logistic regression mixed-effects models which adjusted for confounders previously reported. Propensity score matching (PSM) was also performed at a ratio of 1:1 to minimize potential bias.

Results

Among 598 patients (mean age 56.1 ± 10.7 years, 75.8% female), the mean extubation time was 32.4 minutes. Extubation was performed within 21 minutes (32.4%), 21–35 minutes (31.2%) and ≥ 35 minutes (36.4%), respectively, after surgery. Older patients (mean age 57.8 years) were prone to delayed extubation (≥ 35 min) in the operating room, and more inclined to perioperative fluid infusion. When extubation time was analysed as a continuous variable, there was a U-shaped relation of extubation time with POP (P for nonlinearity = 0.044). After adjustment for confounders, extubation ≥35 minutes was associated with POP (odds ratio [OR], 2.73 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36 ~ 5.47). Additionally, the results after PSM were consistent with those before matching.

Conclusions

Delayed extubation after meningioma resection is associated with increased pneumonia incidence. Therefore, extubation should be performed as early as safely possible in the operation room.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12871-022-01836-w.

Predictive factors contributing to prolonged recovery in patients after Fontan operation

Background

Prolonged recovery is a severe issue in patients after Fontan operation. However, predictive factors related to this issue are not adequately evaluated. The present study aimed to investigate potential predictive factors which can predict Fontan postoperative recovery.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the perioperative medical records of patients with Fontan surgery between January 2015 and December 2018, and divided patients with > 75%ile cardiac intensive care unit stay into prolonged recovery group. The others were assigned to standard recovery group. Patients that died or underwent a Fontan takedown were excluded. Statistical analysis was performed to compare data difference of the two groups.

Results

282/307 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Seventy patients were considered in prolonged recovery and 212 patients were defined as standard recovery. Pre- and intra-operative data showed a higher incidence of heterotaxy syndrome, longer cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp time in the prolonged recovery group. Postoperative information analysis displayed that ventilation time, oxygen index after extubation, hemodynamic data, inotropic score (IS), drainage volume, volume resuscitation, pulmonary hypertension (PH) treatment, and surgical reintervention were significantly different between the two groups. Higher IS postoperatively, and PH treatment and higher fluid resuscitation within two days were independent predictive factors for prolonged recovery in our multivariate model. C-statistic model showed a high predictive ability in prolonged recovery by using the three factors.

Conclusions

Ventilation time, higher IS in postoperative day, and PH treatment and higher fluid resuscitation within two days were independent risk factors and have a high predictability for Fontan prolonged recovery.

Spontaneous contractions of the human thoracic duct-Important for securing lymphatic return during positive pressure ventilation?

The thoracic duct is responsible for the circulatory return of most lymphatic fluid. The return is a well-timed synergy between the pressure in the thoracic duct, venous pressure at the thoracic duct outlet, and intrathoracic pressures during respiration. However, little is known about the forces determining thoracic duct pressure and how these respond to mechanical ventilation. We aimed to assess human thoracic duct pressure and identify elements affecting it during positive pressure ventilation and a brief ventilatory pause. The study examined pressures of 35 patients with severe congenital heart defects undergoing lymphatic interventions. Thoracic duct pressure and central venous pressure were measured in 25 patients during mechanical ventilation and in ten patients during both ventilation and a short pause in ventilation. TD contractions, mechanical ventilation, and arterial pulsations influenced the thoracic duct pressure. The mean pressure of the thoracic duct was 16 ± 5 mmHg. The frequency of the contractions was 5 ± 1 min^-1 resulting in an average increase in pressure of 4 ± 4 mmHg. During mechanical ventilation, the thoracic duct pressure correlated closely to the central venous pressure. TD contractions were able to increase thoracic duct pressure by 25%. With thoracic duct pressure correlating closely to the central venous pressure, this intrinsic force may be an important factor in securing a successful return of lymphatic fluid. Future studies are needed to examine the return of lymphatic fluid and the function of the thoracic duct in the absence of both lymphatic complications and mechanical ventilation.

Ultra-Fast-Track Extubation in Adult Congenital Heart Surgery

Background In pediatric cardiac surgery, perioperative management has evolved from slow weaning of mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit to "ultra-fast-track" anesthesia with early extubation (EE) in theater to promote a faster recovery. The strategy of EE has not been assessed in adults with congenital heart disease, a growing population of patients who often require surgery. Methods And Results Data were collected retrospectively on all patients >16 years of age who underwent adult congenital heart surgery in our tertiary center between December 2012 and January 2020. Coarsened exact matching was performed for relevant baseline variables. Overall, 711 procedures were performed: 133 (18.7%) patients underwent EE and 578 (81.3%) patients received conventional extubation. After matching, patients who received EE required less inotropic or vasopressor support in the early postoperative period (median Vasoactive-inotropic score 0.5 [0.0-2.0] versus 2.0 [0.0-3.5]; P<0.0001) and had a lower total net fluid balance than patients after conventional extubation (1168±723 versus 847±733 mL; P=0.0002). The overall reintubation rate was low at 0.3%. EE was associated with a significantly shorter postoperative length of stay in higher dependency care units before a "step-down" to ward-based care (48 [45-50] versus 50 [47-69] hours; P=0.004). Lower combined intensive care unit and high dependency unit costs were incurred by patients who received EE compared with patients who received conventional extubation (£3949 [3430-4222] versus £4166 [3893-5603]; P<0.0001). Conclusions In adult patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease, EE is associated with a reduced need for postoperative hemodynamic support, a shorter intensive care unit stay, and lower health-care-related costs.