Does the Association Between Psychosocial Factors and Opioid Use After Elective Spine Surgery Differ by Sex in Older Adults?

Purpose: Psychosocial disorders have been linked to chronic postoperative opioid use and the development of postoperative pain. The potential interaction between sex and psychosocial factors with respect to opioid use after elective spine surgery in the elderly has not yet been evaluated. Our aim was to assess whether any observed association of anxiety or depression indicators with opioid consumption in the first 72 hours after elective spine surgery varies by sex in adults ≥65 years. Patients and Methods: Secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort of 647 elective spine surgeries performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital, July 1, 2015-March 15, 2017, in patients ≥65. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test whether history of anxiety, anxiolytic use, history of depression, and antidepressant use were associated with opioid consumption 0-24, 24-48, and 48-72 post surgery, and whether these potential associations differed by sex. Results: History of anxiety, anxiolytic use, history of depression, and antidepressant use were more common among women (51.3% of the sample). During the first 24 hours after surgery, men with a preoperative history of anxiety consumed an adjusted mean of 19.5 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) (99.6% CI: 8.1, 31.0) more than men without a history of anxiety; women with a history of anxiety only consumed an adjusted mean 2.9 MME (99.6% CI: -3.1, 8.9) more than women without a history of anxiety (P value for interaction between sex and history of anxiety <0.001). No other interactions were detected between sex and psychosocial factors with respect to opioid use after surgery. Conclusion: Secondary analysis of this retrospective cohort study found minimal evidence that the association between psychosocial factors and opioid consumption after elective spine surgery differs by sex in adults ≥65.

Early Detection and Management of Venous Thrombosis in Skull Base Surgery: Role of Routine Doppler Ultrasound Monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), encompassing deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), causes postoperative morbidity and mortality in neurosurgical patients. The use of pharmacological prophylaxis for DVT prevention in the immediate postoperative period carries increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage, especially after skull base surgeries. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of routine Doppler ultrasound monitoring in prevention and tiered management of VTE after skull base surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a large cohort of consecutive adult patients who were prospectively and uniformly managed with routine monitoring by Doppler ultrasound for DVT after resection of a skull base tumor. RESULTS: A total of 389 patients who underwent 459 surgeries for intracranial tumor resection were analyzed. Skull base meningioma was the most common pathology. Forty-four (9.59%) postoperative VTEs were detected: 9 (1.96%) with PE with or without DVT and 35 (7.63%) with DVT alone. Four cases of subsegmental PE were diagnosed without evidence of lower extremity DVT, possibly in the setting of peripherally inserted central catheters maintenance. One patient had a preoperative proximal DVT and underwent a prophylactic inferior vena cava filter but expired from PE after discharge. Prior history of VTE (risk ratio [RR] 5.13; 95% CI 2.76-7.18; P < .01), anesthesia duration (RR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03-1.27; P = .02), and blood transfusion (RR 1.95; 95% CI 1.01-3.37; P = .04) were associated with VTE development on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Routine postoperative venous ultrasound monitoring detects asymptomatic DVT guiding management. This is an alternative strategy to prescribing pharmacological VTE prophylaxis immediately after lengthy surgeries for intracranial tumors. Peripherally inserted central catheters were associated with subsegmental PE.

Expandable Versus Static Cages in Minimally Invasive Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Expandable cages for interbody fusion allow for in situ expansion optimizing fit while mitigating endplate damage. Studies comparing outcomes after using expandable or static cages have been conflicting. METHODS: This was a meta-analysis A systematic search was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines identifying studies reporting outcomes among patients who underwent minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-LIF). RESULTS: Fourteen articles with 1129 patients met inclusion criteria. Compared with MIS-LIFs performed with static cages, those with expandable cages had a significantly lower incidence of graft subsidence (expandable: incidence 0.03, I2 22.50%; static: incidence 0.27, I2 51.03%, P interaction <0.001), length of hospital stay (expandable: mean difference [MD] 3.55 days, I2 97%; static: MD 7.1 days, I2 97%, P interaction <0.01), and a greater increase in disc height (expandable: MD -4.41 mm, I2 99.56%; static: MD -0.79 mm, I2 99.17%, P interaction = 0.02). There was no statistically significant difference among Oswestry Disability Index (expandable: MD -22.75, I2 98.17%; static: MD -17.11, I2 95.26%, P interaction = 0.15), fusion rate (expandable: incidence 0.94, I2 0%; static incidence 0.92, I2 0%, P interaction = 0.44), overall change in lumbar lordosis (expandable: MD 3.48 degrees, I2 59.29%; static: MD 3.67 degrees, I2 0.00%, P interaction 0.88), blood loss (expandable: MD 228.9 mL, I2 100%; static: MD 261.1 mL, I2 94%, P interaction = 0.69) and operative time (expandable: MD 184 minutes, I2 95.32%; static: MD 150.4 minutes, I2 91%, P interaction = 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: Expandable interbody cages in MIS-LIF were associated with a decrease in subsidence rate, operative time and greater in increase in disc height.

Single- versus Dual-Attending Surgeon Approach for Spine Deformity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical management of spine deformity is associated with significant morbidity. Recent literature has inconsistently demonstrated better outcomes after utilizing 2 attending surgeons for spine deformity. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on studies reporting outcomes following single- vs dual-attending surgeons for spine deformity. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of science, and Cochrane databases were last searched on July 16, 2020. A total of 1013 records were identified excluding duplicates. After screening, 10 studies (4 cohort, 6 case series) were included in the meta-analysis. Random-effect models were used to pool the effect estimates by study design. When feasible, further subgroup analysis by deformity type was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 953 patients were analyzed. Pooled results from propensity score-matched cohort studies revealed that the single-surgeon approach was unfavorably associated with a nonstatistically significant higher blood loss (mean difference = 421.0 mL; 95% CI: -28.2, 870.2), a statistically significant higher operative time (mean difference = 94.3 min; 95% CI: 54.9, 133), length of stay (mean difference = 0.84 d; 95% CI: 0.46, 1.22), and an increased risk of complications (Mantel-Haenszel risk ratio = 2.93; 95% CI: 1.12, 7.66). Data from pooled case series demonstrated similar results for all outcomes. Moreover, these results did not differ significantly between deformity types (adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and adult spinal deformity). CONCLUSION: Dual-attending surgeon approach appeared to be associated with reduced operative time, shorter hospital stays, and reduced risk of complications. These findings may potentially improve outcomes in surgical treatment of spine deformity.

Gender Differences in Preoperative Opioid Use in Spine Surgery Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Opioids are frequently used in spine surgeries despite their adverse effects, including physical dependence and addiction. Gender difference is an important consideration for personalized treatment. There is no review assessing the prevalence of opioid use between men and women before spine surgeries. DESIGN: We compared the prevalence of preoperative opioid use between men and women. SETTING: Spine surgery. SUBJECTS: Comparison between men and women. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were searched from inception to November 9, 2018. Clinical characteristics and prevalence of preoperative opioid use were collected. Where feasible, data were pooled from nonoverlapping studies using random-effects models. RESULTS: Four studies with nonoverlapping populations were included in the meta-analysis (one prospective, three retrospective cohorts). The prevalence of preoperative opioid use was 0.64 (95% CI = 0.40-0.83). Comparing men with women, no statistically significant difference in preoperative opioid use was detected (relative risk [RR] = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.96-1.02). Surgery location (cervical, lumbar) and study duration (more than five years or five years or less) did not modify this association. All involved open spine surgery. Only one secondary analysis provided data on both pre- and postoperative opioid use stratified by gender, which showed a borderline significantly higher prevalence of postoperative use in women than men. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of opioid use before spine surgery was similar between men and women, irrespective of surgery location or study duration. More studies characterizing the pattern of opioid use between genders are still needed.

Long-Term Opioid Prescriptions After Spine Surgery: A Meta-Analysis of Prevalence and Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND: Opioids are frequently prescribed for back pain, but the prevalence of and risk factors for long-term opioid use after spine surgery were not clearly reported. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the evidence for long-term opioid use (>90 days) among adults who underwent spine surgery. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane indexing databases were searched until November 9, 2018 for studies reporting the prevalence of and risk factors for long-term opioid use after spine surgery. Separate meta-analyses were conducted for commercial claims databases or registries (claims/registries) and nonclaims observational studies using the random-effects model to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR). Prevalence meta-analysis was performed in a clinically homogeneous subset of these patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery. RESULTS: Eight claims and 5 nonclaims were meta-analyzed to avoid double-counting participants. The meta-analysis showed that preoperative opioid users (OR, 5.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.37-9.27 vs. OR 4.21; 95% CI, 2.72-6.51) and participants with preexisting depression and/or anxiety (OR, 1.86, 95% CI, 1.43-2.42 and OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.83-1.74, respectively) had a statistically significantly higher odds of long-term postoperative opioids, compared with their peers. Males showed lower odds of long-term postoperative opioid use in the claims group (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.92), but not in the nonclaims group (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.71-1.39). The pooled prevalence of post-lumbar spine surgery long-term opioid use was 63% (95% CI, 50%-74%) in claims and 47% (95% CI, 38%-56%) in nonclaims. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing spine surgery represent a high-risk surgical population requiring special attention and targeted interventions, with the strongest evidence for those treated with opioids before surgery and those with psychiatric comorbidities.

Risk factors and associated complications of acute kidney injury in adult patients undergoing a craniotomy.

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) after craniotomy may help clinicians identify perioperative patients at risk for AKI and lead clinicians to institute preventive measures. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with AKI after craniotomy and understand whether patients who develop AKI after craniotomy have worse clinical outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective, propensity score matched cohort study consisting of 344 patients who developed an AKI or required renal dialysis post-operatively versus those who did not. An AKI was defined using a composite of two NSQIP variables: progressive renal insufficiency and acute renal failure. All data were derived from the American College of Surgeons National Safety Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) between 2009-2017. RESULTS: Of the 50,691 patients who underwent a craniotomy, 202 developed post-operative AKI or required post-operative renal dialysis. Male gender, black race, age 65 and older, and a body mass index 30 or greater were associated with AKI. Patients with hypertension (OR [95 % CI] 4.41 [3.21-6.06]; p < 0.001), diabetes (OR [95 % CI] 3.5 [2.62-4.69]; p < 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR [95 % CI] 2.27 [1.4-3.69]; p = 0.001), congestive heart failure (OR [95 % CI] 8.17 [4.29-15.58]; p < 0.001), chronic kidney disease (OR [95 % CI] 10.59 [6.09-18.41]; p < 0.001), bleeding disorder (OR [95 % CI] 3.83 [2.59-5.65]; p < 0.001), those who developed sepsis (OR [95 % CI] 4.63 [3.33-6.45]; p < 0.001), and emergent craniotomy (OR [95 % CI] 5.35 [4.05-7.06); p < 0.00) were more likely to develop AKI. The largest association between AKI after surgery was found in patients whose preoperative functional status was totally dependent in activities of daily living (OR [95 % CI] 5.93 [3.53-9.95]; p < 0.001). AKI was associated with a higher number of complications experienced by each patient (OR [95 % CI] 1.79 [1.4-2.3; p < 0.001]. Patients with higher ASA physical status were more likely to develop AKI, and mortality was significantly higher in the AKI cohort. There was a significant increase in the rates of returning to the operating room, failure to wean from the ventilator, unplanned intubations, number of complications, and length of stay between the two groups. AKI was also associated with a higher rate of perioperative pneumonia, venous thromboembolism, urinary tract infection, and sepsis. CONCLUSION: AKI is associated with significantly worse clinical outcomes after craniotomy. Perioperative strategies for prevention, management and supportive care of AKI for patients undergoing craniotomy may improve clinical outcomes.

Adult spinal deformity surgery: a systematic review of venous thromboprophylaxis and incidence of venous thromboembolic events.

Venous thromboprophylaxis consisting of chemical and/or mechanical prophylaxis is administered to patients undergoing adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery to prevent venous thromboembolic events. However, the true incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after these surgeries is unknown resulting in weak recommendations and lack of consensus regarding type and timing of prophylaxis in these patients. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine VTE incidence in addition to optimal type and timing of VTE prophylaxis. A detailed search was carried out on Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases through October 18, 2017, for studies that evaluated venous thromboembolic outcomes, type, and timing of prophylaxis administration among ASD surgery patients who were on VTE prophylaxis. The randomized study was assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane tool and the observational studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS). The search yielded 1180 studies, and three articles published between 1996 and 2008 met the inclusion criteria. There were 583 surgeries performed on 537 patients with a mean age ranging from 45 to 52 years. Females dominated the study with percentages ranging from 60 to 94% in the different study populations. VTE prophylaxis was initiated before surgery in 87.7% patients and intraoperatively in 12.3% patients. VTE incidence ranged between 0 and 9.1% among the studies. VTE can occur after ASD surgery regardless of the type of prophylaxis, and incidence may be higher when mechanical prophylaxis alone is initiated intraoperatively. Further studies to examine VTE prophylaxis in patients undergoing ASD surgery should be considered.

The prevalence of complications associated with lumbar and thoracic spinal deformity surgery in the elderly population: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of spinal deformities increases with age, affecting between 30% and 68% of the elderly population (ages ≥65). The reported prevalence of complications associated with surgery for spinal deformities in this population ranges between 37% and 71%. Given the wide range of reported complication rates, the decision to perform surgery remains controversial. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane to identify studies reporting complications for spinal deformity surgery in the elderly population. Pooled prevalence estimates for individual complication types were calculated using the random-effects model. RESULTS: Of 5,586 articles, 14 met inclusion criteria. Fourteen complication types were reported, with at least 2 studies for each complication with the following pooled prevalence: reoperation (prevalence 19%; 95% CI, 9-36%; 107 patients); hardware failure (11%; 95% CI, 5-25%; 52 patients); infection (7%; 95% CI, 4-12%; 262 patients); pseudarthrosis (6%; 95% CI, 3-12%; 149 patients); radiculopathy (6%; 95% CI, 1-33%; 116 patients); cardiovascular event (5%; 95% CI, 1-32%; 121 patients); neurological deficit (5%; 95% CI, 2-15%; 248 patients); deep vein thrombosis (3%; 95% CI, 1-7%; 230 patients); pulmonary embolism (3%; 95% CI, 1-7%; 210 patients); pneumonia (3%; 95% CI, 1-11%; 210 patients); cerebrovascular or stroke event (2%; 95% CI, 0-9%; 85 patients); death (2%; 95% CI, 1-9%; 113 patients); myocardial infarction (2%; 95% CI, 1-6%; 210 patients); and postoperative hemorrhage (1%; 95% CI, 0-10%; 85 patients). CONCLUSIONS: Most complication types following spinal deformity surgery in the elderly had prevalence point estimates of <6%, while all were at least ≤19%. Additional studies are needed to further explore composite prevalence estimates and prevalence associated with traditional surgical approaches as compared to minimally-invasive procedures in the elderly.

The Safety and Efficacy of Tranexamic Acid in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Major spinal corrective surgeries can be associated with critical intra-operative blood loss. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA), a commonly used antifibrinolytic agent, in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery, defined as fusion of five or more levels. METHODS: Articles from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and clinicaltrials.gov were screened using PRISMA guidelines through December 2018. Thromboembolic events, blood loss, and transfusion levels were primary outcomes of interest. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (OBSs) with adult patients (≥ 18 years) were included. Continuous variables were analyzed using mean difference (MD) and categorical variables were analyzed using Peto odds ratio (OR), via random effects models. RESULTS: Of the 604 articles screened, seven studies (two RCTs and five cohort studies) were included. Incidence of thromboembolic events was not statistically significantly different between TXA (1 event/19) and placebo (0 events/13) in the RCT (Peto OR = 1.41, 95% CI 0.05-37.2; 32 patients; 1 study) and in the OBSs (TXA [2 events/135] vs control [0 events/72]; Peto OR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.16-7.61; p-heterogeneity = 0.85; 207 patients; 3 studies). Data from OBSs showed that the pooled MD was statistically significantly lower in the TXA group compared with the control group for intraoperative blood loss (MD: - 620.2 mL, 95% CI - 1066.6 to - 173.7; p-heterogeneity = 0.14; 228 patients; 4 studies) and total transfusion volume (MD: - 958.2 mL, 95% CI - 1867.5 to - 49.0; p-heterogeneity = 0.23; 93 patients; 2 studies). CONCLUSION: In this meta-analysis, TXA was not significantly associated with increased risk of thromboembolic events but was associated with lower intraoperative blood loss and lower total transfusion volumes in ASD surgery.

Evidence-based dexamethasone dosing in malignant brain tumors: what do we really know?

PURPOSE: The present study aims to conduct a systematic review of literature reporting on the dose and dosing schedule of dexamethasone (DXM) in relation to clinical outcomes in malignant brain tumor patients, with particular attention to evidence-based practice. METHODS: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, Academic Search Premier, and PsycINFO to identify studies that reported edema volume reduction, symptomatic relief, adverse events and survival in relation to dexamethasone dose in glioma or brain metastasis (BM) patients. RESULTS: After screening 1812 studies, fifteen articles were included for qualitative review. Most studies reported a dose of 16 mg, mostly in a schedule of 4 mg four times a day. Due to heterogeneity of studies, it was not possible to perform quantitative meta-analysis. For BMs, best available evidence suggests that higher doses of DXM may give more adverse events, but may not necessarily result in better clinical condition. Some studies suggest that higher DXM doses are associated with shorter survival in the palliative setting. For glioma, DXM may lead to symptomatic improvement, yet no studies directly compare different doses. Results regarding edema reduction and survival in glioma patients are conflicting. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence on the safety and efficacy of different DXM doses in malignant brain tumor patients is scarce and conflicting. Best available evidence suggests that low DXM doses may be noninferior to higher doses in certain circumstances, but more comparative research in this area is direly needed, especially in light of the increasing importance of immunotherapy for brain tumors.

Smartphone Photographs to Document Preoperative Dental Examination.

Dental injury is a common cause of malpractice claims involving anesthesiologists. Inadequate preoperative dental evaluations and incomplete documentation are often cited as contributing factors during reviews of closed claims. Point-of-care smartphone photographs are widely used in other medical fields such as dermatology and plastic surgery. We discuss the use of smartphone photographs for documenting preoperative dental examinations.

Preemptive analgesia for postoperative pain relief in thoracolumbosacral spine operations: a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.

OBJECTIVEPreemptive administration of analgesic medication is more effective than medication given after the onset of the painful stimulus. The efficacy of preoperative or preemptive pain relief after thoracolumbosacral spine surgery has not been well studied. The present study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial of preemptive analgesia with a single-shot epidural injection in adult patients undergoing spine surgery.METHODSNinety-nine adult patients undergoing thoracolumbosacral operations via a posterior approach were randomized to receive a single shot of either epidural placebo (group 1), hydromorphone alone (group 2), or bupivacaine with hydromorphone (group 3) before surgery at the preoperative holding area. The primary outcome was the presence of opioid sparing and rescue time-defined as the time interval from when a patient was extubated to the time pain medication was first demanded during the postoperative period. Secondary outcomes include length of stay at the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), pain score at the PACU, opioid dose, and hospital length of stay.RESULTSOf the 99 patients, 32 were randomized to the epidural placebo group, 33 to the hydromorphone-alone group, and 34 to the bupivacaine with hydromorphone group. No significant difference was seen across the demographics and surgical complexities for all 3 groups. Compared to the control group, opioid sparing was significantly higher in group 2 (57.6% vs 15.6%, p = 0.0007) and group 3 (52.9% vs 15.6%, p = 0.0045) in the first demand of intravenous hydromorphone as a supplemental analgesic medication. Compared to placebo, the rescue time was significantly higher in group 2 (187 minutes vs 51.5 minutes, p = 0.0014) and group 3 (204.5 minutes vs 51. minutes, p = 0.0045). There were no significant differences in secondary outcomes.CONCLUSIONSThe authors' study demonstrated that preemptive analgesia in thoracolumbosacral surgeries can significantly reduce analgesia requirements in the immediate postoperative period as evidenced by reduced request for opioid medication in both analgesia study groups who received a preoperative analgesic epidural. Nonetheless, the lack of differences in pain score and opioid dose at the PACU brings into question the role of preemptive epidural opioids in spine surgery patients. Further work is necessary to investigate the long-term effectiveness of preemptive epidural opioids and their role in pain reduction and patient satisfaction.Clinical trial registration no.: NCT02968862 (clinicaltrials.gov).

The endoscopic endonasal approach is not superior to the microscopic transcranial approach for anterior skull base meningiomas-a meta-analysis.

OBJECT: In the past decade, the endonasal transsphenoidal approach (eTSA) has become an alternative to the microsurgical transcranial approach (mTCA) for tuberculum sellae meningiomas (TSMs) and olfactory groove meningiomas (OGMs). The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate which approach offered the best surgical outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature from 2004 and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Pooled incidence was calculated for gross total resection (GTR), visual improvement, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, intraoperative arterial injury, and mortality, comparing eTSA and mTCA, with p-interaction values. RESULTS: Of 1684 studies, 64 case series were included in the meta-analysis. Using the fixed-effects model, the GTR rate was significantly higher among mTCA patients for OGM (eTSA: 70.9% vs. mTCA: 88.5%, p-interaction < 0.01), but not significantly higher for TSM (eTSA: 83.0% vs. mTCA: 85.8%, p-interaction = 0.34). Despite considerable heterogeneity, visual improvement was higher for eTSA than mTCA for TSM (p-interaction < 0.01), but not for OGM (p-interaction = 0.33). CSF leak was significantly higher among eTSA patients for both OGM (eTSA: 25.1% vs. mTCA: 10.5%, p-interaction < 0.01) and TSM (eTSA: 19.3%, vs. mTCA: 5.81%, p-interaction < 0.01). Intraoperative arterial injury was higher among eTSA (4.89%) than mTCA patients (1.86%) for TSM (p-interaction = 0.03), but not for OGM resection (p-interaction = 0.10). Mortality was not significantly different between eTSA and mTCA patients for both TSM (p-interaction = 0.14) and OGM resection (p-interaction = 0.88). Random-effect models yielded similar results. CONCLUSION: In this meta-analysis, eTSA was not shown to be superior to mTCA for resection of both OGMs and TSMs.

Factors associated with an increased risk of perioperative cardiac arrest in emergent and elective craniotomy and spine surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiac arrest following neurosurgery is a devastating complication associated with significant postoperative morbidity and mortality. There are no published studies that have used a large and robust multicenter database to specifically examine demographic and surgical risk factors associated with cardiac arrests following craniotomy and spine surgeries, respectively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database for the period between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2013, focusing on cardiac arrest associated with craniotomy and spine surgery from the intraoperative period to 30days after surgery. A total of 73,584 neurosurgical patients were analyzed (59,609 spine surgeries and 13,975 craniotomies). RESULTS: There was an increased risk of cardiac arrest for both craniotomy and spine surgeries in patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status class 4 or 5, Black and Asian patients compared to White patients and patients totally dependent versus independent based on the ACS-NSQIP risk calculator. The risk of cardiac arrest for craniotomy was 66.5 per 10,000 anesthetics and for spine surgery was 21.3 per 10,000 anesthetics. Cardiac arrest associated with emergent non-traumatic craniotomy was 36.5% and with emergent non-traumatic spine surgery was only 17.3%. We found that 18% of cardiac arrests for craniotomy and 25% of cardiac arrests for spine surgery occurred from the intraoperative period through postoperative day (POD) 0. Both craniotomy and spine surgery patients who had a cardiac arrest were more likely to have acute kidney injury (AKI), failure to wean from the ventilator, postoperative dialysis, myocardial infarction (MI), venous thromboembolism (VTE) and sepsis in the postoperative period. The overall mortality rate for both craniotomy and spine surgeries who had a cardiac arrest from the intraoperative period to 30days postoperative was 61.8% versus 1.2% in the no cardiac arrest control group. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of patient and surgery specific characteristics from ACS-NSQIP data associated with cardiac arrest following craniotomy and spine surgery may lead to initiatives to reduce morbidity and mortality in the neurosurgical patient population.

The effects of dynamic airway photographs on preoperative airway planning among a panel of anesthetists.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether having preoperative airway photographs will change the preanesthetic airway plan. DESIGN: Questionnaire. SETTING: American academic medical center (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston MA). SUBJECTS: Twenty-five test subjects (American Society of Anesthesiologists 1-4) were enrolled to have their preoperative airway photographs taken as well as to have a customary preoperative history and physical examination. In addition, 15 anesthetists were enrolled to review the subjects' preoperative history, physical examination, and preoperative airway photographs. MEASUREMENTS: All 15 anesthetists were asked to fill out a survey for airway management for each test subject. MAIN RESULTS: All 15 anesthetists completed the survey. Across all providers, plans were changed a median of 24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.7-38.6). Among attending anesthesiologists, airway management plans were changed 30% of the time (95% CI, 12.4-40.0), whereas among nonattending level providers, plans changed 24% of the time (95% CI, 12.0-38.8). χ2 Tests found no difference between the percent change of airway plans between attending and nonattending level providers (P=.306). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the addition of dynamic airway photographs to preoperative airway reports affects airway management plans among a variety of anesthesia care providers. In general, dynamic airway photographs can aid preoperative airway management planning.

Safety of remifentanil in transsphenoidal surgery: A single-center analysis of 540 patients.

Although some studies have examined the efficacy and safety of remifentanil in patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures, none has examined its safety in transsphenoidal operations specifically. In this study, all transsphenoidal operations performed by a single author from 2008 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the safety of remifentanil in a consecutive series of patients. During the study period, 540 transsphenoidal operations were identified. Of these, 443 (82.0%) patients received remifentanil intra-operatively; 97 (18.0%) did not. The two groups were well-matched with regard to demographic categories, comorbidities, and pre-operative medications (p>0.05), except pre-operative tobacco use (p=0.021). Patients were also well-matched with regard to radiographic features and surgical techniques. Patients who received remifentanil were more likely to harbor a macroadenoma (78.1% vs. 67.0%, p=0.025), and had slightly longer anesthesia time on average (269.2minvs. 239.4min, p=0.024). All pathologic diagnoses were well-matched between the two groups, except that patients receiving remifentanil were more likely to harbor a non-functioning adenoma (46.5% vs. 26.8%, p<0.001). Analysis of post-operative complications showed no significant difference between patients who received remifentanil and those who did not, and length of stay and prevalence of ICU stay did not differ between the two groups. In a well-matched series of 540 patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery, remifentanil was found to be a safe anesthetic adjunct. There were no significant differences in post-operative hospital course or complications in patients who did and did not receive intra-operative remifentanil.

Impact of operative length on post-operative complications in meningioma surgery: a NSQIP analysis.

Many studies have implicated operative length as a predictor of post-operative complications, including venous thromboembolism [deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)]. We analyzed the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database from 2006 to 2014, to evaluate whether length of operation had a statistically significant effect on post-operative complications in patients undergoing surgical resection of meningioma. Patients were included for this study if they had a post-operative diagnosis of meningioma. Patient demographics, pre-operative comorbidities, and post-operative 30-day complications were analyzed. Of 3743 patients undergoing craniotomy for meningioma, 13.6 % experienced any complication. The most common complications and their median time to occurrence were urinary tract infection (2.6 %) at 10 days postoperatively (IQR 7-15), unplanned intubation (2.5 %) at 3 days (IQR 1-7), failure to wean from ventilator (2.4 %) at 2.0 days (IQR 2-4), and DVT (2.4 %) at 6 days (IQR 11-19). Postoperatively, 3.6 % developed VTE; 2.4 % developed DVT and 1.7 % developed PE. Multivariable analysis identified older age (third and upper quartile), obesity, preoperative ventilator dependence, preoperative steroid use, anemia, and longer operative time as significant risk factors for VTE. Separate multivariable logistic regression models demonstrated longer operative time as a significant risk factor for VTE, all complications, major complications, and minor complications. Meningioma resection is associated with various post-operative complications that increase patient morbidity and mortality risk. this large, multi-institutional patient sample, longer operative length was associated with increased risk for postoperative venous thromboembolisms, as well as major and minor complications.

Preanesthetic evaluation of a patient with a deep brain stimulator: a practical guide and checklist for patient safety.

As the patient population with deep brain stimulators grows, medical personnel need to be comfortable managing these patients because they will likely encounter them in practice. Caring for a patient with a deep brain stimulator during surgery or a procedure requires technical knowledge of the device and its possible interactions in order to take the correct precautionary measures. Here we discuss the key issues and questions that should be covered in every preanesthetic evaluation visit of a patient with a deep brain stimulator along with an evaluation checklist.