Verification of an intravenous fluid warmer: A prospective, two-center observational trial.

Objectives: Avoiding inadvertent hypothermia during surgery is important. Intravenous fluid warmers used intraoperatively are critical for maintaining euthermia. We sought to prospectively evaluate the performance of the parylene-coated enFlow™ intravenous fluid warmer in patients undergoing surgery. Methods: This was a prospective two-center observational clinical trial performed in inpatient surgical services of two large academic hospital systems. After written informed consent, patients were enrolled in the trial. All patients were adults scheduled for a surgery that was expected to last for at least 1 h with the administration of at least 1 L of fluid warmed prior to infusion. Patient temperature was recorded in the preoperative unit, at the induction of anesthesia, and then every 15 or 30 min until the end of surgery. Temperature monitoring continued in the recovery unit. The parylene-coated enFlow™ intravenous fluid warmer was used in addition to the usual patient warming techniques. The primary outcome was the average core temperature, and secondary analyses assessed individual temperature measurements, temperature measurements during specific time periods, and rate of hypothermic events. Results: In all, 50 patients (29 males) with a mean age of 64 years were included in the analysis. The mean surgical time was 195 min and patients received an average of 1142 mL of fluids. Core temperature dropped by only 0.3°C approximately 60 min after induction and recovered back to the baseline level approximately 60 min later. There was no correlation between flow rate and measured core body temperature. Conclusions: The parylene-coated enFlow intravenous fluid warmer was able to warm fluids at all flow rates during prolonged surgery. The results showed that enFlow performed as expected.

Automated Near Real-Time Ventilator Data Feedback Reduces Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Events: A Retrospective Observational Study.

OBJECTIVES: Critical care teams are encouraged to follow best practice protocols to help wean mechanically ventilated patients from the ventilator to reduce ventilator-associated events including ventilator-associated conditions, probable ventilator-associated pneumonias, and infection-related ventilator-associated conditions. Providers monitor for alerts suggestive of possible ventilator-associated events and advise when patients should undergo spontaneous breathing trials. Compliance with protocols in most units is suboptimal. DESIGN: Retrospective review of clinical data over 24 months. SETTING: St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Candler Hospital Medical-Surgical ICU. PATIENTS: All mechanically ventilated patients. INTERVENTIONS: The Respiratory Knowledge Portal was implemented in our ICU. For 13 months, Respiratory Knowledge Portal data were ported to ICU workstations (control). For the following 11 months, Respiratory Knowledge Portal data were also presented on tablet computers (intervention) for use during multidisciplinary rounds. We performed a retrospective review of Respiratory Knowledge Portal data from before and after the implementation of the tablet computers. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Data were collected from 337 patients (187 control group, 150 intervention group). A decrease in the occurrence of ventilator-associated events was observed during the intervention group compared with the control group. Only 2.0% of patients in the intervention group experienced any category of ventilator-associated event, while 11.2% of patients in the control group experienced one event (p = 0.003). Intervention patients experienced less ventilator-associated conditions (p = 0.002), infection-related ventilator-associated conditions (p = 0.026), and probable ventilator-associated pneumonias (p = 0.036) than control patients. Twenty-one of the 24 patients with any ventilator-associated events were in the control group. There was no significant difference between the days spent on ventilation nor hospital length of stay in the control compared with intervention group patients. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer ventilator-associated events, ventilator-associated conditions, infection-related ventilator-associated conditions, and probable ventilator-associated pneumonias were seen during the period when Respiratory Knowledge Portal monitoring data was presented on tablet computers. There was no difference in time on ventilator nor overall length of stay.

Using the SuperNO2VA Device on a Patient With a Known Difficult Airway: A Case Report Facilitating Fiberoptic Intubation and Postoperative Nasal Positive Pressure.

Upper airway obstruction during anesthesia is the leading cause of complications during sedation, intubation, and emergence. Devices to support oxygenation and ventilation are costly, require capital equipment, and cannot be used during transport. We present a 46-year-old man with sleep apnea and anticipated difficult airway undergoing a cardiac ablation under general endotracheal intubation. The SuperNO2VA nasal mask provided high-flow nasal oxygen and positive pressure during awake fiberoptic intubation and on extubation, maintaining airway patency in the operating room, during transport, and in recovery. The SuperNO2VA is inexpensive and portable and should be considered for high-risk patients with difficult airways.