Expanded Analysis of a Modified Enhanced Recovery Protocol in Cleft Palatoplasty

Prediction of Early Postoperative Pain in Infants Undergoing Primary Cleft Palate Repair

OBJECTIVE

Identification of at risk patients before surgery could facilitate improved clinical communication, care pathways and postoperative pain management.

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study was performed in all infants who had undergone cleft palate repair.

SETTING

Tertiary Institutional.

PARTICIPANTS

Infants < 36 months of age who underwent primary repair of cleft palate between March 2016 and July 2022.

INTERVENTION

Requirement for analgesic intervention in the post operative care unit.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Adverse perioperative event defined as pain or distress. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of airway obstruction, hypoxemia or unplanned intensive care admission.

RESULTS

Two hundred and ninety one patients (14.6 months,10.1 kg weight) were included. Cleft distribution included submucous (5.2%), Veau I (23.4%), Veau 2 (38.1%), Veau 3 (24.4%), and Veau 4 (8.9%). Overall 35% of 291 infants undergoing cleft palate repair experienced pain or distress requiring opiate intervention in the first hour after surgery. Infants with a Veau 4 cleft palate had 1.8 times and Veau 2 cleft palate had 1.5 times the risk of postoperative pain compared to infants with Veau 1 cleft palate (relative risk 1.82, 95%CI 1.04-3.18 and 1.49, 95%CI 0.96-2.32 respectively). The use of bilateral above elbow arm splints was significantly associated with postoperative pain or distress (odds ratio 2.23, 95%CI 1.01-5.16).

CONCLUSIONS

Post operative pain requiring intervention in PACU is common despite adequate intraoperative multimodal analgesia, local anaesthesia infiltration and postoperative opiate infusions. Infants undergoing soft palate alone or submucous palate repair may require less perioperative opiates.

Early Utilization of Ketorolac in Cleft Palate Repair

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of ketorolac on opiate requirement and hospital length of stay after palatoplasty.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective chart review.

SETTING

This study was completed at an urban tertiary medical center.

PATIENTS

Those who underwent palatoplasty with a pediatric otolaryngologist between 2010-2020.

INTERVENTIONS

Incorporation of standing Ketorolac into the immediate post-operative pain regimen.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

T-test analysis was performed to determine whether initiation of ketorolac within 24 h post-palatoplasty was correlated with shorter length hospitalization or reduced opiate requirement.

RESULTS

A total of 55 pediatric subjects (49.1% female) were included in this study. Average age at time of surgery was 13 months (range 9.9-33.9 months). On two tailed t-test, use of ketorolac within the first 24 h after palatoplasty was associated with shorter length of stay (mean of 1.68 vs 2.57 days, t = 2.58, P = .01) and lower total opiate dosage during hospitalization (mean of 2.8 vs 9.16 morphine milligram equivalents, t = 3.37, P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients undergoing palatoplasty, there is a significant relationship between the early utilization of ketorolac and decreased length of hospitalization as well as decreased opiate requirement. This has important consequences to help improve pain control with reduced opiates requirement as well as length of stay. Future prospective studies can help elicit the causative effect of Ketorolac on these parameters and can investigate whether use of Ketorolac has an effect on long term recovery and post-discharge opiate requirements as well.

Closing the Gap: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols in Primary Cleft Palate Repair

OBJECTIVE

Assess the evidence for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols in the cleft palate population.

DESIGN

A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases for articles detailing the use of ERAS protocols in patients undergoing primary palatoplasty.

SETTING

New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS

Patients with cleft palate undergoing primary palatoplasty.

INTERVENTIONS

Meta-analysis of reported patient outcomes in ERAS and control cohorts.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Methodological quality of included studies, opioid use, postoperative length of stay (LOS), rate of return to emergency department (ED)/readmission, and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

Following screening, 6 original articles were included; all were of Modified Downs & Black (MD&B) good or fair quality. A total of 354 and 366 were in ERAS and control cohorts, respectively. Meta-analysis of comparable ERAS studies showed a difference in LOS of 0.78 days for ERAS cohorts when compared to controls (P < .05). Additionally, ERAS patients utilized significantly less postoperative opioids than control patients (P < .05). Meta-analysis of the rate of readmission/return to ED shows no difference between ERAS and control groups (P = .59). However, the lack of standardized reporting across studies limited the power of meta-analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

ERAS protocols for cleft palate repair offer many advantages for patients, including a significant decrease in the LOS and postoperative opioid use without elevating readmission and return to ED rates. However, this analysis was limited by the paucity of literature on the topic. Better standardization of data reporting in ERAS protocols is needed to facilitate pooled meta-analysis to analyze their effectiveness.

The Limit Is Zero: A Prospective Evaluation of Ketorolac in Patients Undergoing Primary Palatoplasty to Reduce Narcotic Utilization

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing primary palatoplasty rely on narcotics for pain control, but narcotics can lead to sedation and respiratory depression. Recent research into Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways utilizing multimodal pain therapy has yielded promising results for patients undergoing palatoplasty in terms of decreased hospital length of stay (LOS), increased oral intake, and decreased narcotic usage. Despite the potential benefit of ketorolac after palatoplasty, there is a paucity of data regarding its use.

METHODS

A single-center cohort study of patients undergoing primary palatoplasty was performed using 2 cohorts: a retrospective cohort treated with our institution's prior ERAS protocol from 2016 to 2018 and a prospective group of patients who also received ketorolac (ERAS+K) postoperatively from 2020 to 2022.

RESULTS

A total of 85 patients (57 ERAS and 28 ERAS+K) were included. Compared with the ERAS group, the ERAS+K cohort had significantly decreased LOS (31.8 versus 55 h, P =0.02), decreased morphine milligram equivalents administered at 24 hours (1.5 versus 2.5, P =0.003), 48 hours (0 versus 1.5, P <0.001), and total inpatient morphine milligram equivalents (1.9 versus 3.8, P =0.001). The ERAS+K group also had a significant decrease in the prescribed narcotic rate (32.1% versus 61.4%, P =0.006). No bleeding issues, blood transfusions, or reoperations were noted in either cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

This study illustrates many potential benefits of using ketorolac as a pain management adjunct in combination with a multimodal pain regimen. Our results demonstrated favorable outcomes, including decreased narcotic usage and LOS as well as increased hourly oral intake, without increasing bleeding complications.

Current trends in unilateral cleft lip repair

The purpose of this review is to provide an in-depth look at the current perioperative and intraoperative practices for unilateral cleft lip repair. The contemporary literature reveals trends towards incorporation of curvilinear and geometric hybrid lip repairs. Perioperative practices are trending in new directions as well with the use of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols to reduce morbidity and length of stay, continued use of nasoalveolar molding, and a tendency to favor outpatient repair with more utilization of same day surgery centers. There is much room for growth, with new and exciting technologies on the horizon to improve upon cosmesis, functionality, and the operative experience.

Assessing the quality of reporting on quality improvement initiatives in plastic surgery: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

There has been a recent increase in the number and complexity of quality improvement studies in plastic surgery. To assist with the development of thorough quality improvement reporting practices, with the goal of improving the transferability of these initiatives, we conducted a systematic review of studies describing the implementation of quality improvement initiatives in plastic surgery. We used the SQUIRE 2.0 (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) guideline to appraise the quality of reporting of these initiatives.

METHODS

English-language articles published in Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane databases were searched. Quantitative studies evaluating the implementation of quality improvement initiatives in plastic surgery were included. The primary endpoint of interest in this review was the distribution of studies per SQUIRE 2.0 criteria scores in proportions. Abstract screening, full-text screening, and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate by the review team.

RESULTS

We screened 7046 studies, of which 103 full texts were assessed, and 50 met inclusion criteria. In our assessment, only 7 studies (14%) met all 18 SQUIRE 2.0 criteria. SQUIRE 2.0 criteria that were met most frequently were abstract, problem description, rationale, and specific aims. The lowest SQUIRE 2.0 scores appeared in funding, conclusion, and interpretation criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

Improvements in QI reporting in plastic surgery, especially in the realm of funding, costs, strategic trade-offs, project sustainability, and potential for spread to other contexts, will further advance the transferability of QI initiatives, which could lead to significant strides in improving patient care.

Perioperative Pain Management in Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies

BACKGROUND

Developing effective strategies to manage perioperative pain remains a focus of cleft care. The present study's purpose was to systematically review perioperative pain control strategies for cleft lip and palate repair.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was performed. Primary outcomes included pain scale scores and time to analgesia failure. Cohen d normalized effect size permitted comparison between studies, and a fixed-effects model was used for analysis. I2 and Q-statistic p values were calculated.

RESULTS

Twenty-three studies were included: eight of 23 studies provided data for meta-analytic comparison. Meta-analyses evaluated the efficacy of intraoperative nerve blocks on postoperative pain management. Meta-analysis included a total of 475 treatment and control patients. Cleft lip studies demonstrated significantly improved pain control with a nerve block versus placebo by means of pain scale scores ( p < 0.001) and time to analgesia failure ( p < 0.001). Measurement of effect size over time demonstrated statistically significant pain relief with local anesthetic. Palatoplasty studies showed significantly improved time to analgesia failure ( p < 0.005) with maxillary and palatal nerve blocks. Multiple studies demonstrated an opioid-sparing effect with the use of local anesthetics and other nonopioid medications. Techniques for nerve blocks in cleft lip and palate surgery are reviewed.

CONCLUSIONS

The present systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies demonstrates that intraoperative nerve blocks for cleft lip and palate surgery provide effective pain control. Opioid-sparing effects were appreciated in multiple studies. Intraoperative nerve blocks should be considered in all cases of cleft lip and palate repair to improve postoperative pain management.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic, II.