Opioid-free anesthesia for patients undergoing mastectomy: A matched comparison.

Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) is being implemented in breast surgery due to increased awareness of adverse effects and the national opioid crisis. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of OFA on postoperative pain and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in mastectomy patients. A single-institution matched-cohort study was conducted from 2014 to 2017 on 48 women undergoing mastectomy, with the majority also undergoing immediate prosthetic-based reconstruction. Patients received either conventional anesthesia (CA) or a novel OFA regimen. Primary outcomes included postoperative pain scores, opioid use, and need for antiemetics that were evaluated both in the PACU and on the hospital floors. No significant differences were found in PACU opioid or antiemetic use between OFA and CA. Pain scores in PACU and on POD0 were not significantly different. There was a significant but modest decrease on POD1 in OFA patients (3.9 vs. 5.1, P = .046). Additionally, patients with higher intraoperative opioid regimens experienced significantly increased PONV (P = .023). This study demonstrated the efficacy of OFA in controlling postoperative pain and nausea compared to a traditional opioid-based regimen. Regardless of intraoperative opioids, patients experienced similar postoperative opioid requirements and PONV with decreased pain scores. Thus, OFA is feasible in mastectomy patients and should be further evaluated in select patients.

Efficacy of Electronic Reminders in Increasing the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol Use During Major Breast Surgery: Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols are patient-centered, evidence-based guidelines for peri-, intra-, and postoperative management of surgical candidates that aim to decrease operative complications and facilitate recovery after surgery. Anesthesia providers can use these protocols to guide decision-making and standardize aspects of their anesthetic plan in the operating room. OBJECTIVE: Research across multiple disciplines has demonstrated that clinical decision support systems have the potential to improve protocol adherence by reminding providers about departmental policies and protocols via notifications. There remains a gap in the literature about whether clinical decision support systems can improve patient outcomes by improving anesthesia providers' adherence to protocols. Our hypothesis is that the implementation of an electronic notification system to anesthesia providers the day prior to scheduled breast surgeries will increase the use of the already existing but underused ERAS protocols. METHODS: This was a single-center prospective cohort study conducted between October 2017 and August 2018 at an urban academic medical center. After obtaining approval from the institutional review board, anesthesia providers assigned to major breast surgery cases were identified. Patient data were collected pre- and postimplementation of an electronic notification system that sent the anesthesia providers an email reminder of the ERAS breast protocol the night before scheduled surgeries. Each patient's record was then reviewed to assess the frequency of adherence to the various ERAS protocol elements. RESULTS: Implementation of an electronic notification significantly improved overall protocol adherence and several preoperative markers of ERAS protocol adherence. Protocol adherence increased from 16% (n=14) to 44% (n=44; P<.001), preoperative administration of oral gabapentin (600 mg) increased from 13% (n=11) to 43% (n=43; P<.001), and oral celebrex (400 mg) use increased from 16% (n=14) to 35% (n=35; P=.006). There were no statistically significant differences in the use of scopolamine transdermal patch (P=.05), ketamine (P=.35), and oral acetaminophen (P=.31) between the groups. Secondary outcomes such as intraoperative and postoperative morphine equivalent administered, postanesthesia care unit length of stay, postoperative pain scores, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting did not show statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This study examines whether sending automated notifications to anesthesia providers increases the use of ERAS protocols in a single academic medical center. Our analysis exhibited statistically significant increases in overall protocol adherence but failed to show significant differences in secondary outcome measures. Despite the lack of a statistically significant difference in secondary postoperative outcomes, our analysis contributes to the limited literature on the relationship between using push notifications and clinical decision support in guiding perioperative decision-making. A variety of techniques can be implemented, including technological solutions such as automated notifications to providers, to improve awareness and adherence to ERAS protocols.

Impact of a Workflow-Integrated Web Tool on Resource Utilization and Information-Seeking Behavior in an Academic Anesthesiology Department: Longitudinal Cohort Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Medical resident reading and information-seeking behavior is limited by time constraints as well as comfort in accessing and assessing evidence-based resources. Educational technology interventions, as the preferred method for millennial leaners, can reduce these barriers. We implemented an educational web tool, consisting of peer-reviewed articles as well as local and national protocols and policies, built into the daily workflow of a university-based anesthesiology department. We hypothesized that this web tool would increase resource utilization and overall perceptions of the educational environment. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to demonstrate that an educational web tool designed and built into the daily workflow of an academic anesthesia department for trainees could significantly decrease barriers to resource utilization, improve faculty-trainee teaching interactions, and improve the perceptions of the educational environment. METHODS: Following Institutional Review Board approval, a longitudinal cohort survey study was conducted to assess trainee resource utilization, faculty evaluation of trainees' resource utilization, and trainee and faculty perceptions about the educational environment. The survey study was conducted in a pre-post fashion 3 months prior to web tool implementation and 3 months following implementation. Data were deidentified and analyzed unpaired using Student t tests for continuous data and chi-square tests for ordinal data. RESULTS: Survey response rates were greater than 50% in all groups: of the 43 trainees, we obtained 27 (63%) preimplementation surveys and 22 (51%) postimplementation surveys; of the 46 faculty members, we obtained 25 (54%) preimplementation surveys and 23 (50%) postimplementation surveys. Trainees showed a significant improvement in utilization of peer-reviewed articles (preimplementation mean 8.67, SD 6.45; postimplementation mean 18.27, SD 12.23; P=.02), national guidelines (preimplementation mean 2.3, SD 2.40; postimplementation mean 6.14, SD 5.01; P<.001), and local policies and protocols (preimplementation mean 2.23, SD 2.72; postimplementation mean 6.95, SD 6.09; P=.02). There was significant improvement in faculty-trainee educational interactions (preimplementation mean 1.67, SD 1.33; postimplementation mean 6.05, SD 8.74; P=.01). Faculty assessment of trainee resource utilization also demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all resource categories. Subgroups among trainees and faculty showed similar trends toward improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Learning technology interventions significantly decrease the barriers to resource utilization, particularly among millennial learners. Further investigation has been undertaken to assess how this may impact learning, knowledge retention, and patient outcomes.