Non-Invasive Positive airway Pressure thErapy to Reduce Postoperative Lung complications following Upper abdominal Surgery (NIPPER PLUS): a pilot randomised control trial.

OBJECTIVES: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are a common serious complication following upper abdominal surgery. Postoperatively, physiotherapy-led non-invasive ventilation (NIV) may be a promising method to reduce PPC incidence. The objectives of this pilot trial were to examine preliminary effectiveness, feasibility and safety of additional intermittent physiotherapy-led NIV compared to continuous high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) alone. DESIGN: Single-centre, assessor-blinded, parallel-group, pilot randomised control trial. SETTING: Primary-referral hospital in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 130 high-risk patients undergoing upper abdominal surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Continuous HFNC for 48-hours following surgical extubation, or HFNC plus five 30-minute physiotherapy-led NIV sessions. OUTCOMES: PPC incidence, trial feasibility and safety. RESULTS: PPC incidence was similar between groups (HFNC alone 12/65 (18%) vs HFNC plus NIV 10/64 (16%) adjusted HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.40-2.29). Delivery of HFNC as per-protocol was achieved in 81% (n = 105) of all participants. Physiotherapy-led NIV initiated within four-hours of surgical extubation was achieved in 81% (n = 52) of intervention group participants, with a mean 4.2 (SD 1.3) total number of NIV sessions delivered in the first two postoperative days. NIV was delivered as per-protocol in 52% of this cohort. Two episodes of severe hypotension during NIV requiring medical intervention were reported. CONCLUSION: Delivery of continuous HFNC was feasible. Delivery of NIV within four-hours of extubation was achieved and delivered safely with< 1% adverse events. The planned NIV intervention of five sessions within two postoperative days was not feasible. The results of this pilot study have informed the decision not to proceed to a fully powered trial. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, www.anzctr.org.au ACTRN12617000269336. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER.

Effects of preoperative physiotherapy on signs and symptoms of pulmonary collapse and infection after major abdominal surgery: secondary analysis of the LIPPSMAck-POP multicentre randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative education and breathing exercise training by a physiotherapist minimises pulmonary complications after abdominal surgery. Effects on specific clinical outcomes such as antibiotic prescriptions, chest imaging, sputum cultures, oxygen requirements, and diagnostic coding are unknown. METHODS: This post hoc analysis of prospectively collected data within a double-blinded, multicentre, randomised controlled trial involving 432 participants having major abdominal surgery explored effects of preoperative education and breathing exercise training with a physiotherapist on postoperative antibiotic prescriptions, hypoxemia, sputum cultures, chest imaging, auscultation, leukocytosis, pyrexia, oxygen therapy, and diagnostic coding, compared to a control group who received a booklet alone. All participants received standardised postoperative early ambulation. Outcomes were assessed daily for 14 postoperative days. Analyses were intention-to-treat using adjusted generalised multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Preoperative physiotherapy was associated with fewer antibiotic prescriptions specific for a respiratory infection (RR 0.52; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.85, p = 0.01), less purulent sputum on the third and fourth postoperative days (RR 0.50; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.73, p = 0.01), fewer positive sputum cultures from the third to fifth postoperative day (RR 0.17; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.77, p = 0.01), and less oxygen therapy requirements (RR 0.49; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.78, p = 0.002). Treatment effects were specific to respiratory clinical coding domains. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative physiotherapy prevents postoperative pulmonary complications and is associated with the minimisation of signs and symptoms of pulmonary collapse/consolidation and airway infection and specifically results in reduced oxygen therapy requirements and antibiotic prescriptions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ANZCTR 12613000664741 ; 19/06/2013.

Near infrared and skin impedance spectroscopy - a possible support in the diagnostic process of skin tumours in primary health care.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The global incidence of skin cancer has increased drastically in recent decades, especially in Australia and Northern Europe. Early detection is crucial for good prognosis and high survival rates. In general, primary care physicians have considerably lower sensitivity and specificity rates for detection of skin cancer, compared to dermatologists. A probable main reason for this is that current diagnostic tools are subjective in nature, and therefore diagnostic skills highly depend on experience. Illustratively, in Sweden, approximately 155 500 benign skin lesions are excised unnecessarily every year. An objective instrument, added to the clinical examination, might improve the diagnostic accuracy, and thus promote earlier detection of malignant skin tumours, as well as reduce medical costs associated with unnecessary biopsies and excisions. The general aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the combination of near infrared (NIR) and skin impedance spectroscopy as a supportive tool in the diagnosis and evaluation of skin tumours in primary health care. METHODS: Near infrared and skin impedance data were collected by performing measurements on suspect malignant, premalignant and benign tumours in the skin of patients seeking primary health care for skin tumour evaluation. The obtained data were analysed using multivariate analysis and compared with the diagnosis received by the conventional diagnostic process. RESULTS: The observed sensitivity and specificity rates were both 100%, when discriminating malignant and premalignant skin tumours from benign skin tumours, and the observed sensitivity and specificity for separating malignant skin tumours from premalignant and benign skin tumours were also 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the NIR and skin impedance spectroscopy may be a useful supportive tool for the general practitioner in the diagnosis and evaluation of skin tumours in primary health care, as a complement to the visual assessment.