Perioperative outcomes of goal-directed versus conventional fluid therapy in radical cystectomy with enhanced recovery protocol.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the intra/perioperative fluid management and early postoperative outcomes of patients who underwent radical cystectomy with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol, using goal-directed fluid therapy compared to conventional fluid therapy. METHODS: This cohort study included patients who underwent open RC for urothelial bladder carcinoma with intent to cure and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol between May 2012 and August 2019. Patients who had palliative or salvage cystectomy and/or adjunct procedures, as well as those with missing detailed perioperative data were excluded. Data were compared between patients who received goal-directed fluid therapy using stroke volume variation by FloTrac™/Vigileo system (n = 119) and conventional fluid therapy based on the anesthesiologist discretion (n = 192). Primary outcome variable was 90-day complications and secondary outcome measures included in-hospital GFR trend, length of stay, and 90-day readmission. RESULTS: The goal-directed fluid therapy group received less total and net intra/perioperative fluid, yet early postoperative glomerular filtration rate trends were similar between both groups (p = 0.7). Estimated blood loss, blood transfusion, index hospital stay, 90-day complication and readmission rates were also comparable between the two groups. Multivariable logistic regression showed no significant association between perioperative fluid management method and 90-day complication rate (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.8-2.4, p = 0.2). CONCLUSION: Stroke volume variation guided goal-directed fluid therapy is safe in radical cystectomy without compromising the renal function. It is associated with less intra- and perioperative fluid infusion; however, no association with hospital stay, 90-day complication or readmission rates were noted.

Compression asphyxia and other clinicopathological findings from the Hillsborough Stadium disaster.

Ninety-six people died following a crowd crush at the Hillsborough Football Stadium, Sheffield, UK in 1989. The cause of death in nearly all cases was compression asphyxia. The clinical and pathological features of deaths encountered in crowds are discussed with a particular focus on the Hillsborough disaster.

Determination of the True Inclination Angle of the Main Bronchi Relative to the Median Sagittal Plane for Placement of a Left-Sided Double-Lumen Tube.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the true inclination angle of the main bronchi relative to the median sagittal plane, using CT imaging to help increase accuracy of double-lumen tube (DLT) placement. DESIGN: In this retrospective study, 2 investigators independently measured normal chest CT scans from 50 male and 50 female patients. To determine the true AP axis, a mid-sagittal plane reference line (MSPRL) was drawn, intersecting the midsternum and the vertebral spinous process at the level of mid-carina. Lines were drawn through the center of each main bronchus to determine the inclination angle with regard to the MSPRL. SETTING: Research was conducted at a single institution, the Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: Normal chest CT images from 50 women and 50 men. MAIN RESULTS: The mean true inclination angle between the main bronchi and trachea in the mid-sagittal plane was 108.4° on the left compared with 96.2° on the right (p<0.0001). INTERVENTIONS: No specific interventions were done because this was a retrospective study and CT scan analysis. CONCLUSION: The data suggested that the trachea does not merely branch in the horizontal plane but branches posteriorly as well, with a true mean anatomic angle between the left main bronchus and trachea of 108.4°. This finding concurred with the authors' suggestion that the DLT be rotated to 110° counterclockwise instead of the routine practice of 90°. The authors suggest clinicians rotate the DLT an additional 20° counterclockwise and direct the top of the DLT to the 11 o'clock position.

Effects of Anesthetic Management on Early Postoperative Recovery, Hemodynamics and Pain After Supratentorial Craniotomy.

Various clinical trials have assessed how intraoperative anesthetics can affect early recovery, hemodynamics and nociception after supratentorial craniotomy. Whether or not the difference in recovery pattern differs in a meaningful way with anesthetic choice is controversial. This review examines and compares different anesthetics with respect to wake-up time, hemodynamics, respiration, cognitive recovery, pain, nausea and vomiting, and shivering. When comparing inhalational anesthetics to intravenous anesthetics, either regimen produces similar recovery results. Newer shorter acting agents accelerate the process of emergence and extubation. A balanced inhalational/intravenous anesthetic could be desirable for patients with normal intracranial pressure, while total intravenous anesthesia could be beneficial for patients with elevated intracranial pressure. Comparison of inhalational anesthetics shows all appropriate for rapid emergence, decreasing time to extubation, and cognitive recovery. Comparison of opioids demonstrates similar awakening and extubation time if the infusion of longer acting opioids was ended at the appropriate time. Administration of local anesthetics into the skin, and addition of corticosteroids, NSAIDs, COX-2 inhibitors, and PCA therapy postoperatively provided superior analgesia. It is also important to emphasize the possibility of long-term effects of anesthetics on cognitive function. More research is warranted to develop best practices strategies for the future that are evidence-based.

A cost analysis of the impact of a new intravenous antihypertensive in managing perioperative blood pressure during cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of intravenous antihypertensive selection on hospital health resource utilization using data from the Evaluation of CLevidipine In the Perioperative Treatment of Hypertension Assessing Safety Events (ECLIPSE) trials. METHODS: Analysis of ECLIPSE trial data comparing clevidipine to nitroglycerin, sodium nitroprusside, and nicardipine and unit costs based on the Premier Hospital database to assess surgery duration, time to extubation, and length of stay (LOS) with the associated cost. RESULTS: A total of 1414 patients from the ECLIPSE trials and the Premier hospital database were included for analysis. The duration of surgery and postoperative LOS were similar across groups. The time from chest closure to extubation was shorter in patients receiving clevidipine group compared with the pooled comparator group (median 7.0 vs 7.6 hours, P = 0.04). There was shorter intensive care unit (ICU) LOS in the clevidipine group versus the nitroglycerin group (median 27.2 vs 33.0 hours, P = 0.03). A trend toward reduced ICU LOS was also seen in the clevidipine compared with the pooled comparator group (median 32.3 vs 43.5 hours, P = 0.06). The costs for ICU LOS and time to extubation were lower with clevidipine than with the comparators, with median cost savings of $887 and $34, respectively, compared with the pooled comparator group, for a median cost savings of $921 per patient. CONCLUSIONS: Health resource utilization across therapeutic alternatives can be derived from an analysis of standard costs from hospital financial data to matched utilization metrics as part of a randomized controlled trial. In cardiac surgical patients, intravenous antihypertensive selection was associated with a shorter time to extubation in the ICU and a shorter ICU stay compared with pooled comparators, which in turn may decrease total costs.