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Ramjist JK, Sutthatarn P, Elliott C, Lee KS, Fecteau A. Introduction of a Warming Bundle to Reduce Hypothermia in Neonatal Surgical Patients. J Pediatr Surg 2024; 59:858-862. [PMID: 38388284 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2024.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hypothermia in the neonatal surgical population has been linked with significant morbidity and mortality. Our goal was to decrease intra and postoperative hypothermia. INTERVENTION In November 2021, a radiant warmer and hat were included along with standard warming methods prior to the start of General Surgery procedures to minimize episodes of hypothermia. PRIMARY OUTCOME Core body temperature was measured pre, intra and post-operatively. METHODS Data were prospectively collected from electronic medical records from July 2021 to March 2023. A retrospective analysis was performed. Hypothermia was defined as a temperature <36.5C. Control charts were created to analyze the effect of interventions. RESULTS A total of 277 procedures were identified; 226 abdominal procedures, 31 thoracic, 14 skin/soft tissue and 6 anorectal. The median post-natal age was 36.1 weeks (IQR: 33.2-39.2), with a pre-surgical weight of 2.3 kg (IQR: 1.6-3.0) and operative duration of 181 min (IQR: 125-214). Hat and warmer data were unavailable for 59 procedures, both hat and warmer were used for 51 % procedures, hat alone for 29 %, warmer alone for 10 % and neither for 10 % of procedures. Over time there was a significant increase in hat utilization while warmer usage was unchanged. There was a significant increase in the mean lowest intra-operative temperature and decrease in proportion of hypothermic patients intra-operatively and post-operatively. CONCLUSIONS The inclusion of a radiant warmer and hat decreased the proportion of hypothermic patients during and after surgery. Further studies are necessary to analyze the impact on surgical outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua K Ramjist
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of General and Thoracic Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pattamon Sutthatarn
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of General and Thoracic Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Christine Elliott
- Division of Neonatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kyong-Soon Lee
- Division of Neonatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Annie Fecteau
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of General and Thoracic Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Quaglietta PR, Ramjist JK, Antwi J, Kissoondoyal A, Lapidus-Krol E, Baertschiger RM. Unanticipated consequences of COVID-19 pandemic policies on pediatric acute appendicitis surgery. J Pediatr Surg 2023; 58:931-938. [PMID: 36775681 PMCID: PMC9851992 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Global pandemics may limit access to specialized care, delaying diagnosis and treatment of common acute surgical diseases. We analyzed the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on acute appendicitis at an urban tertiary care center. We hypothesize that pandemics are associated with delayed presentation and worsened clinical sequelae, specifically, higher incidences of perforation in children. METHODS We retrospectively assessed patients admitted to our institution with acute appendicitis in pre-pandemic control (February 2018-June 2019) and COVID-19 (February 2020-June 2021) cohorts. Primary outcomes included complicated appendicitis rates (perforation/abscess/bowel obstruction), COVID-19 status, complications and travel distance to our institution. 1107 patients met inclusion criteria: 491 (44.4%) during the control period and 616 (55.6%) in the COVID-19 cohort. Statistical analysis involved t-tests, contingency tables and logistic regression modelling for key variables. RESULTS A larger proportion of complicated appendicitis occurred during COVID-19 compared to controls (28.3% vs 38.8%, p < 0.001). Symptom duration at presentation and length of stay were not significantly different. Duration of antibiotic treatment, surgery length, readmission rate and travel distances were significantly higher during COVID-19. The pre-pandemic cohort had a significantly younger age distribution. CONCLUSION Pediatric appendicitis was significantly impacted during COVID-19, demonstrated by increased rates of complicated appendicitis, surgery duration and antibiotic duration. This may be an unintended secondary consequence of patients avoiding healthcare facilities for non-pandemic related illnesses or lockdown policies. Government policies directing all provincial pediatric appendicitis cases to pediatric institutions increased travel distances for our patients and had unanticipated consequences and resource requirements on tertiary healthcare. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III for "Treatment Studies".
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula R Quaglietta
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada; Institute of Medial Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Joshua K Ramjist
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Antwi
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Ashby Kissoondoyal
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Eveline Lapidus-Krol
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Reto M Baertschiger
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada; Institute of Medial Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
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Downing L, Ramjist JK, Tyrrell A, Tsang M, Isaac L, Fecteau A. Development of a five point enhanced recovery protocol for pectus excavatum surgery. J Pediatr Surg 2023; 58:822-827. [PMID: 36788057 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We implemented and evaluated an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocol for Nuss procedures consisting of patient education, bowel management, pre/post-operative transitional pain service involvement, serratus anterior plane blocks and intercostal nerve cryoablation. METHODS A 5-point ERAS protocol was implemented using multiple plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles. Data was collected prospectively for patients in the full ERAS protocol and retrospectively for previous patients. The primary outcome was length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes were opioid consumption, pain scores, protocol compliance and patient satisfaction. The impact of PDSA cycles and the ERAS protocol was quantified using statistical process control charts and Mann Whitney U test. RESULTS A total of 53 patients were identified, 13 within the ERAS protocol and 40 prior to introduction. There was no difference in age, sex, or Haller index between the two cohorts. The median LOS was decreased by 3 days in the ERAS cohort (P = 0.00001). There was decreased opioid consumption on post-operative day 1 (1.47 vs 1.96 MME/kg, p = 0.009) and overall (3.12 vs 6.35 MME/kg, p = 0.0042) in the ERAS cohort. Median pain scores did not differ between cohorts. ERAS bundle element compliance was: education 92%, bowel management 100%, transitional pain involvement 100%, serratus block 100% and cryoablation 100%. The 1-month survey revealed that 92% of patients were satisfied with their experience. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate significant reduction in LOS and a trend to decreasing opioid consumption in hospital following ERAS protocol implementation and support the further application of ERAS protocols in pediatrics. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III - Retrospective comparative study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynsey Downing
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joshua K Ramjist
- Department of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Maisie Tsang
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa Isaac
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Annie Fecteau
- Department of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Ramjist JK, Kim J, Rhee R. The Meritocracy: A Novel Team-Based Learning Paradigm in General Surgical Training. J Am Coll Surg 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2019.08.554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Chrystoja CC, Ramjist JK, Baxter NN, Simunovic M, Sutradhar R, Lix L, Urbach DR. Variation with Structures of Care among Hospitals Performing Colorectal Cancer Surgery in Ontario. J Am Coll Surg 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2016.06.254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Ramjist JK, Urbach DR, Stukel TA, Fu L, Baxter NN. Reoperation for Inguinal Hernia Recurrence in Ontario: A Population-Based Study. J Am Coll Surg 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2016.06.376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Abstract
Chinese government support and 'sea turtles' are spurring the sector, but investors lack exits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Frew
- McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network and University of Toronto, MaRS Centre, South Tower, Suite 406, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7, Canada
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