Sugammadex Neuromuscular Blockade Reversal Associated With Lower Postoperative Arterial Carbon Dioxide Levels After Congenital Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare postoperative arterial blood gas samples and requirement for respiratory support between patients who received sugammadex versus neostigmine reversal before extubation after congenital cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective, cross-sectional study. SETTING: Single-center, university-based, tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with congenital heart disease undergoing surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. INTERVENTIONS: Chart review. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The first postoperative arterial blood gas measurements were abstracted from electronic medical records, and reintubation or use of positive- pressure respiratory support within the first 24 postoperative hours was documented. Of the 237 charts reviewed, 111 (47%) patients received sugammadex reversal and 126 (53%) received neostigmine. Multivariate models showed that patients with 2-ventricle congenital heart disease who received sugammadex had lower postoperative arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2) values (coefficient -3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] -5.9 to -0.4; p = 0.026) and required less- noninvasive positive- pressure ventilation (odds ratio 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-0.8; p = 0.021). Single-ventricle congenital heart disease patients who received sugammadex had higher postoperative pH values (coefficient 0.04, 95% CI 0.01-0.06; p = 0.01) and lower PaCO2 values (coefficient -5.2, 95% CI -9.6 to -0.8; p = 0.021). CONCLUSION: Sugammadex reversal was associated with lower postoperative PaCO2 values. In addition, sugammadex reversal was associated with less need for noninvasive positive- pressure ventilation in 2-ventricle patients. The magnitude of the effect appears modest, therefore the clinical significance remains unclear. Additional studies focused on investigating particular patient populations, such as infants, single-ventricle congenital heart disease, or patients with pulmonary hypertension, are needed to identify whether these patients appreciate a greater benefit from sugammadex reversal.

Financial Incentive, in Place of Nonclinical Time, Increases Faculty Involvement and Improves Resident Didactic Evaluation Scores in an Anesthesiology Residency Training Program.

BACKGROUND: Providing clinical faculty to lead high-quality resident didactic sessions remains a challenge for academic departments that host graduate medical education training programs. In an effort to both reduce costs and to continue to recruit faculty to give lectures, our department began to incentivize clinicians with a $500 stipend in place of a nonclinical day to present didactics. Our hypothesis is that with financial incentive, more attendings would present didactics and the quality would improve. METHODS: Residents routinely evaluate all didactic sessions using a Likert scale of 1 to 5. Residents also answer yes or no to indicate whether the presenter should return. We compared academic year (AY) 2016, in which faculty were incentivized with nonclinical time, with AY 2017 and AY 2018, in which incentive came in the form of a $500 stipend. For each, the mean Likert score and percentage of positive responses for lecturer returning were calculated. A 1-way ANOVA and post hoc t tests were performed to determine significant changes. RESULTS: Comparing AY 2016 (before the incentive switch) with AY 2017 and AY 2018, there was more faculty involvement in resident didactic after implementing the financial incentive. The quality of lectures also improved after the incentive switch, according to resident evaluations. There were higher overall Likert scores in AY 2018 and a higher percentage of positive responses to the question of whether presenters should return in AY 2017 and AY 2018, compared with AY 2016. CONCLUSIONS: After implementation of a financial incentive in place of nonclinical time, more faculty became involved in lectures and overall lecture quality improved as measured by resident evaluations.

Variations in the Anatomic Morphology of the Lateral Distal Tibia: Surgical Implications for Distal Tibial Allograft Glenoid Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Distal tibial allograft glenoid augmentation has been introduced as a viable treatment approach for glenoid bone loss in conjunction with shoulder instability. No previous study, however, has assessed the morphologic variation of the distal tibia at the incisura as it relates to graft dimensions for glenoid augmentation. Increased concavity at the lateral distal tibia necessitates removal of the lateral cortex to obtain a flat surface, which may have implications for the strength of surgical fixation. PURPOSE: To assess the morphologic variation of the distal tibia at the incisura as it relates to graft dimensions for glenoid augmentation. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: Magnetic resonance images of the ankle were reviewed for morphology assessment of the appearance and depth of the distal tibia. A classification system was created reflecting the suitability for glenoid augmentation. Type A tibias contained a flat contour of the lateral tibia at the articular surface, indicative of an ideal graft. Type B tibias had slight concavity with a central depth <5 mm and were deemed acceptable grafts. Type C tibias had deep concavity with a central depth >5 mm and were deemed unacceptable. Statistical analysis was performed via univariate analyses to compare patient demographics against acceptable morphology for glenoid augmentation. RESULTS: Eighty-five study patients met inclusion criteria (53 male, 32 female; mean age ± SD, 35.1 ± 10.3 years). Overall, 12 patients (14.1%) demonstrated type A morphology, with 61 patients (71.8%) having type B morphology for a total of 85.9% of acceptable grafts for glenoid augmentation. The interrater reliability was moderate to strong between observers (kappa value = 0.841). On univariate analysis, sex was the only variable significantly associated with an acceptable graft, with 100% of female patients having acceptable morphology, as compared with 77% of male patients ( P = .004). CONCLUSION: Variable morphology of the distal tibia at the incisura was found: 14.1% of patients demonstrated an ideal morphology for glenoid augmentation; an additional 71.8% were deemed suitable for graft usage; and 14.1% of tibias had unacceptable morphology. Sex was a significant factor for predicting acceptable grafts. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This information will assist surgeons in accepting or rejecting grafts based on the epidemiology of the distal tibial morphology as it relates to glenoid augmentation.

Low incidence of failure after proximal biceps tenodesis with unicortical suture button.

PURPOSE: Recent interest in suture button fixation has developed with regard to proximal biceps tenodesis fixation. Biomechanical studies have demonstrated viability of a unicortical suture button technique in vitro. Despite this, no clinical data has been reported to validate the biomechanical data. The purpose of this study is to report on complication and failure rates in the early postoperative period after bicep tenodesis with a unicortical suture button. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all biceps tenodesis performed at our institution over a 36-month period using a unicortical suture button for fixation. All included patients had a minimum 12 weeks follow up. Failures were defined as complete loss of fixation, change in biceps contour during the early postoperative period, acute pain at the tenodesis site, or acute loss of supination strength. RESULTS: 145 of 166 biceps tenodesis procedures performed by the 4 surgeons at our institution met inclusion criteria. 80.1% of the patients were active duty military at the time of surgery. The average age was 38.2 years. There were 7 total complications (4.8%), including one failure (0.7%) requiring revision. CONCLUSION: Failure and complication rates in the early postoperative period using a unicortical suture button for biceps tenodesis fixation are consistent with other reported techniques. This study adds clinical data to the existing biomechanical reports that this technique is strong enough to provide stable fixation of the biceps tendon to allow healing of the tendon to the humerus.

Rate of tympanic membrane perforation after intratympanic steroid injection.

PURPOSE: To determine the rate of persistent tympanic membrane perforation after intratympanic steroid injection. To determine which comorbid conditions and risk factors are associated with prolonged time to perforation closure following intratympanic steroid injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data were gathered for patients who had undergone intratympanic steroid injection to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss or Ménière's disease. Primary outcomes analysis included rate of persistent tympanic membrane perforation, defined as perforation at least 90days following last injection, and time to perforation healing. Age, sex, number of injections, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, previous head and neck irradiation, and concurrent oral steroids, were analyzed as potential predictors of persistent perforation. RESULTS: One hundred ninety two patients were included in this study. Three patients (1.6%) had persistent tympanic membrane perforations. All three patients received multiple injections. One patient underwent tympanoplasty for repair of persistent perforation. The median time to perforation healing was 18days. There was no statistically significant variable associated with time to perforation healing. However, patients with prior history of head and neck radiation averaged 36.5days for perforation healing compared to 17.5days with no prior history of radiation and this approached statistical significance (p=0.078). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of persistent tympanic membrane perforation following intratympanic steroid injection is low. Patients with a history of radiation to the head and neck may be at increased risk for prolonged time for closure of perforation.

Adverse Drug Effects and Preoperative Medication Factors Related to Perioperative Low-Dose Ketamine Infusions.

High-dose opioid administration is associated with significant adverse events. Evidence suggests that low-dose ketamine infusions improve perioperative analgesia over conventional opioid management, but usage is highly variable. Ketamine's adverse drug effects (ADEs) are well known, but their prevalence during low-dose infusions in a clinical setting and how often they lead to infusion discontinuation are unknown. The purposes of this study were 3-fold: (1) to identify patient factors associated with initiation of ketamine infusions during spine surgery, (2) to identify specific spine procedures in which ketamine has been used most frequently, and (3) to identify ADEs associated with postoperative ketamine infusions and which ADEs most frequently led to discontinuation. Spine surgery was chosen because of its association with moderate to severe pain and a relatively high use of ketamine infusions in this population at our hospital.