Barriers and Facilitators to Intraoperative Alternatives to Opioids: Examining CRNA Perspectives and Practices.

Opioids are the mainstay of intraoperative pain control, but they have several deleterious effects. Alternative medications and strategies to opioids, while effective in producing intraoperative analgesia, are underutilized by anesthesia providers. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists' perspectives and practices on administering opioids vs nonopioid or opioid-sparing strategies ("opioid alternatives") to treat intraoperative pain. A qualitative study design using semistructured interviews was conducted (N = 12). Study participants described their perspectives and practices on treating intraoperative pain. Two key themes emerged: (1) barriers to intraoperative opioid-alternative administration and (2) facilitators to intraoperative opioid-alternative administration. Barriers expressed by study participants included opioid superiority, inconsistent analgesic effects of intraoperative opioid alternatives, limited experience with opioid alternatives, limited resources on opioid alternatives, negative experiences with intraoperative opioid-alternative administration, and patient comorbidities. Facilitators expressed by study participants included the adverse effects of opioids, institutional policy and procedures, positive experiences with opioid-alternative administration, and regional anesthesia superiority. This study highlights the importance of improving education, training, and institutional policies in support of opioid-alternative medications and strategies to treat intraoperative pain and better prevent opioid addiction and abuse.

Association of Anaesthetists guidelines: cell salvage for peri-operative blood conservation 2018.

The use of cell salvage is recommended when it can be expected to reduce the likelihood of allogeneic (donor) red cell transfusion and/or severe postoperative anaemia. We support and encourage a continued increase in the appropriate use of peri-operative cell salvage and we recommend that it should be available for immediate use 24 h a day in any hospital undertaking surgery where blood loss is a recognised potential complication (other than minor/day case procedures).

Clinical Experience of Autologous Blood Transfusion in Neurosurgery: Prospective Study in Central India.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefits of intraoperative autologous blood transfusion in intracranial procedures and to conserve precious homologous blood due to shortage of donor and associated complications. METHODS: This was a prospective study performed at Bansal Hospital, Bhopal. Predetermined autologous blood was collected in a well-labeled bag containing citrate phosphate dextrose adenine solution after induction of general anesthesia. Then appropriate amount of crystalloid solution was transfused in to the body. All collected autologous blood was transfused back to the patient at the end of the surgery or during the surgery if excessive blood loss occurred. Demographic data, hemodynamic changes (mean arterial pressure, heart rate) before and after donation, complications, and any additional homologous blood requirement were noted. Pre- and postoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit values were compared. RESULTS: In total, 32 patients were included in this study. In our study, mean age was 48.87 years; male-to-female ratio was 1:1.4. The mean amount of autologous blood collected was 461 mL, and the mean amount of blood loss during surgery was 1048 mL. In our study, there was no statistically significant difference was found in mean arterial pressure and heart rate before and after autologous blood collection (P > 0.05). When we compared pre- and postoperative mean hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, there was a statistically significant difference present (P < 0.05); this was due to the fact that many patients had meningiomas (15 of 32). Additional homologous blood was required only in 25% of cases (8/32). Of 8 patients, 5 were again cases of deep-seated meningiomas. No complications were observed during or after autologous blood collection. CONCLUSIONS: Autologous blood transfusion is a safe, effective, and affordable method of blood transfusion in patients undergoing intracranial surgery. Complications associated with homologous blood transfusion can be avoided with autologous blood transfusion.

Anesthesia for Cardiac Ablation.

As the complexity and duration of cardiac ablation procedures increase, there is a growing demand for anesthesiologist involvement in the electrophysiology suites for sedation and anesthesia provision, hemodynamic and neuromonitoring, and procedural guidance through transesophageal echocardiography. To deliver high-quality perioperative care, it is important that the anesthesiologist is intimately familiar with the evolving techniques and technologies, the anesthetic options and ventilation strategies, and the anticipated postprocedural complications.

Stable anesthesia with alternative to opioids: Are ketamine and magnesium helpful in stabilizing hemodynamics during surgery? A systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: The role of ketamine and magnesium in improving postoperative pain and diminish opioid consumption has been largely described. Synthetic opioids are known to provide hemodynamic stability when given for major noncardiac surgery. Definitive evidence on the role of ketamine and/or magnesium on intraoperative hemodynamic control would support their potential as alternatives to opioids during surgery. METHODS: The available literature published on PubMed/Medline and EMBASE was reviewed systematically to perform meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of ketamine and/or magnesium on hemodynamic response to surgery as the primary outcome. RESULTS: From 352 studies, we identified 19 RCTs, and after exclusion of eight studies (seven for inappropriate data reporting and one in non-English language), we analyzed 11 RCTs (five for ketamine and six for magnesium sulfate) including, in total, 371 patients, of whom 94 vs. 95 received ketamine vs. placebo and 147 vs. 145 received magnesium vs. placebo, respectively. Results show that in quantitative analyses, ketamine vs. placebo did not show a significant effect on heart rate (+0.71 bpm; 95% CI [-1.52 to +2.93], P = 0.53) but significantly reduced variability of blood pressure (-8.4 mmHg; 95% CI [-15.1 to -1.8], P = 0.0005). In contrast, magnesium vs. placebo reduced variability of heart rate (-3.7 bpm; 95% CI [-6.5 to 0.9], P = 0.01) without a significant effect on systemic blood pressure (+4.2 mmHg; 95% CI [-3.6 to +12.03], P = 0.29). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, these meta-analyses of nine trials confirm that ketamine and magnesium, differently but consistently, reduce hemodynamic variability during surgery and may be seen as complementary not only for pain control but also to provide stable anesthesia. This study supports the use of those drugs to control the sympathetic response to surgery in the context of opioid-free anesthesia.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, The Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and The American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Bypass--Temperature Management during Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

To improve our understanding of the evidence-based literature supporting temperature management during adult cardiopulmonary bypass, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiology and the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology tasked the authors to conduct a review of the peer-reviewed literature, including 1) optimal site for temperature monitoring, 2) avoidance of hyperthermia, 3) peak cooling temperature gradient and cooling rate, and 4) peak warming temperature gradient and rewarming rate. Authors adopted the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association method for development clinical practice guidelines, and arrived at the following recommendation.

The role of evidence, context, and facilitation in an implementation trial: implications for the development of the PARIHS framework.

BACKGROUND: The case has been made for more and better theory-informed process evaluations within trials in an effort to facilitate insightful understandings of how interventions work. In this paper, we provide an explanation of implementation processes from one of the first national implementation research randomized controlled trials with embedded process evaluation conducted within acute care, and a proposed extension to the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework. METHODS: The PARIHS framework was prospectively applied to guide decisions about intervention design, data collection, and analysis processes in a trial focussed on reducing peri-operative fasting times. In order to capture a holistic picture of implementation processes, the same data were collected across 19 participating hospitals irrespective of allocation to intervention. This paper reports on findings from data collected from a purposive sample of 151 staff and patients pre- and post-intervention. Data were analysed using content analysis within, and then across data sets. RESULTS: A robust and uncontested evidence base was a necessary, but not sufficient condition for practice change, in that individual staff and patient responses such as caution influenced decision making. The implementation context was challenging, in which individuals and teams were bounded by professional issues, communication challenges, power and a lack of clarity for the authority and responsibility for practice change. Progress was made in sites where processes were aligned with existing initiatives. Additionally, facilitators reported engaging in many intervention implementation activities, some of which result in practice changes, but not significant improvements to outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided an opportunity for reflection on the comprehensiveness of the PARIHS framework. Consistent with the underlying tenant of PARIHS, a multi-faceted and dynamic story of implementation was evident. However, the prominent role that individuals played as part of the interaction between evidence and context is not currently explicit within the framework. We propose that successful implementation of evidence into practice is a planned facilitated process involving an interplay between individuals, evidence, and context to promote evidence-informed practice. This proposal will enhance the potential of the PARIHS framework for explanation, and ensure theoretical development both informs and responds to the evidence base for implementation.

Variation in preoperative and intraoperative care for first-stage palliation of single-ventricle heart disease: a report from the Joint Council on Congenital Heart Disease National Quality Improvement Collaborative.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: As the first multicenter quality improvement collaborative in pediatric cardiology, the Joint Council on Congenital Heart Disease National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative registry collects information on the clinical care and outcomes of infants discharged home after first-stage palliation of single-ventricle heart disease, the Norwood operation, and variants. We sought to describe the preoperative and intraoperative characteristics of the first 100 patients enrolled in the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative registry. RESULTS: From 21 contributing centers, 59% of infants were male, with median birth weight of 3.1 kg (1.9-5.0 kg); the majority had hypoplastic left heart syndrome (71%). A prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease was made in 75%; only one had fetal cardiac intervention. Chromosomal anomalies were present in 8%, and major noncardiac organ system anomalies were present in 9%. Preoperative risk factors were common (55%) but less frequent in those with prenatal cardiac diagnosis (P= .001). Four patients underwent a preoperative transcatheter intervention. Substantial variation across participating sites was demonstrated for choice of initial palliation for the 93 patients requiring a full first-stage approach, with 50% of sites performing stage I with right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit as the preferred operation; 89% of hybrid procedures were performed at a single center. Significant intraoperative variation by site was noted for the 83 patients who underwent traditional surgical stage I palliation, particularly with use of regional perfusion and depth of hypothermia. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, there is substantial variation across surgical centers in the successful initial palliation of infants with single-ventricle heart disease, particularly with regard to choice of palliation strategy, and intraoperative techniques including use of regional perfusion and depth of hypothermia. Further exploration of the relationship of such variables to subsequent outcomes after hospital discharge may help reduce variability and improve long-term outcomes.

Multiple component patient safety intervention in English hospitals: controlled evaluation of second phase.

OBJECTIVE: To independently evaluate the impact of the second phase of the Health Foundation's Safer Patients Initiative (SPI2) on a range of patient safety measures. Design A controlled before and after design. Five substudies: survey of staff attitudes; review of case notes from high risk (respiratory) patients in medical wards; review of case notes from surgical patients; indirect evaluation of hand hygiene by measuring hospital use of handwashing materials; measurement of outcomes (adverse events, mortality among high risk patients admitted to medical wards, patients' satisfaction, mortality in intensive care, rates of hospital acquired infection). Setting NHS hospitals in England. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hospitals participating in SPI2 and nine matched control hospitals. INTERVENTION: The SPI2 intervention was similar to the SPI1, with somewhat modified goals, a slightly longer intervention period, and a smaller budget per hospital. RESULTS: One of the scores (organisational climate) showed a significant (P = 0.009) difference in rate of change over time, which favoured the control hospitals, though the difference was only 0.07 points on a five point scale. Results of the explicit case note reviews of high risk medical patients showed that certain practices improved over time in both control and SPI2 hospitals (and none deteriorated), but there were no significant differences between control and SPI2 hospitals. Monitoring of vital signs improved across control and SPI2 sites. This temporal effect was significant for monitoring the respiratory rate at both the six hour (adjusted odds ratio 2.1, 99% confidence interval 1.0 to 4.3; P = 0.010) and 12 hour (2.4, 1.1 to 5.0; P = 0.002) periods after admission. There was no significant effect of SPI for any of the measures of vital signs. Use of a recommended system for scoring the severity of pneumonia improved from 1.9% (1/52) to 21.4% (12/56) of control and from 2.0% (1/50) to 41.7% (25/60) of SPI2 patients. This temporal change was significant (7.3, 1.4 to 37.7; P = 0.002), but the difference in difference was not significant (2.1, 0.4 to 11.1; P = 0.236). There were no notable or significant changes in the pattern of prescribing errors, either over time or between control and SPI2 hospitals. Two items of medical history taking (exercise tolerance and occupation) showed significant improvement over time, across both control and SPI2 hospitals, but no additional SPI2 effect. The holistic review showed no significant changes in error rates either over time or between control and SPI2 hospitals. The explicit case note review of perioperative care showed that adherence rates for two of the four perioperative standards targeted by SPI2 were already good at baseline, exceeding 94% for antibiotic prophylaxis and 98% for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis. Intraoperative monitoring of temperature improved over time in both groups, but this was not significant (1.8, 0.4 to 7.6; P = 0.279), and there were no additional effects of SPI2. A dramatic rise in consumption of soap and alcohol hand rub was similar in control and SPI2 hospitals (P = 0.760 and P = 0.889, respectively), as was the corresponding decrease in rates of Clostridium difficile and meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection (P = 0.652 and P = 0.693, respectively). Mortality rates of medical patients included in the case note reviews in control hospitals increased from 17.3% (42/243) to 21.4% (24/112), while in SPI2 hospitals they fell from 10.3% (24/233) to 6.1% (7/114) (P = 0.043). Fewer than 8% of deaths were classed as avoidable; changes in proportions could not explain the divergence of overall death rates between control and SPI2 hospitals. There was no significant difference in the rate of change in mortality in intensive care. Patients' satisfaction improved in both control and SPI2 hospitals on all dimensions, but again there were no significant changes between the two groups of hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Many aspects of care are already good or improving across the NHS in England, suggesting considerable improvements in quality across the board. These improvements are probably due to contemporaneous policy activities relating to patient safety, including those with features similar to the SPI, and the emergence of professional consensus on some clinical processes. This phenomenon might have attenuated the incremental effect of the SPI, making it difficult to detect. Alternatively, the full impact of the SPI might be observable only in the longer term. The conclusion of this study could have been different if concurrent controls had not been used.

[Suitability of intraoperative autotransfusion]. / Suivi des techniques de récupération de sang en peropératoire.

This work presents the procedure applied by our hospital to assess the quality and security of intra operative autotransfusion. The suitability of the three following variables has to be constantly assessed: performance of the machines to concentrate and wash collected blood, bacterial contamination of processed blood and rate of adverse events. We note that the procedure is applied with participation of medical and nursing staff. Since its setting-up, we note an amelioration of suitable variables.

Distilled water peritoneal lavage after colorectal cancer surgery.

PURPOSE: Tumor cells exfoliated into the peritoneal cavity during colorectal cancer surgery are viable and tumorigenic and may contribute to peritoneal recurrence. Although commonly used, the tumoricidal effectiveness of antiseptics in peritoneal lavage is doubted because of their chemical alteration by peritoneal secretions. In contrast, osmotic lysis by incubation in distilled water may offer an effective tumoricidal activity. Data defining the susceptibility of colorectal carcinoma cells to osmotic lysis are lacking and hence there is no consensus on optimal lavage methodology. METHODS: We examined the cytocidal activity of water on colorectal cancer cell lines in culture and determined the effect of peritoneal secretions in vivo on the tumoricidal effectiveness of water. RESULTS: Incubation of cells in distilled water resulted in cell lysis, with 100 percent lysis achieved after 14 minutes of incubation. In vivo, contamination of lavage water by peritoneal secretions produced a resultant solution with an osmolality of 50 mM. Sequential lavages reduced this contamination, enabling a final resultant solution with an osmolality of 10 mM, which produced 100 percent cell lysis after 32 minutes of incubation. CONCLUSIONS: Current peritoneal lavage methodology is inadequate because complete cell lysis requires water incubation for longer time periods than is currently practiced. Solutions to this problem are discussed.

Effect of partial-filling autotransfusion bowls on the quality of reinfused product.

Intraoperative autotransfusion is used in a variety of surgical procedures with the quantity of blood loss dependent upon numerous factors. These procedures may or may not produce a full autotransfusion bowl. The inadequate removal of contaminants has been correlated to the incomplete filling of bowls, resulting in a condition called "Salvaged Blood Syndrome." The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of aspirated whole blood after processing with an autotransfusion system using various fill volumes and two wash volumes. An in vitro circuit was designed to mimic the mechanical effects of extracorporeal flow on blood. Twenty-four Baylor-style bowls were filled at 400 mL min(-1) and washed at 300 mL min(-1). Two wash volumes, 1000 and 2000 mL, and three bowl volumes: low, mid, and full, were used in this study. The bowl volumes were determined by using red cell quantities of 60, 100, and 135 mL for the low-fill, mid-fill, and full bowls, respectively. Samples were drawn pre-autotransfusion and post-autotransfusion and analyzed for plasma-free hemoglobin, IL-8, white blood cell count, platelet count, albumin, and total protein. All data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with significance accepted at p > or = .05. Plasma-free hemoglobin levels and hematocrit were concentrated significantly (p < .05) as bowl volume increased. A significant difference in IL-8 levels was found in the wash volumes in the low-fill bowls (p < .02). Platelet count was significantly decreased between the full bowl with 1000 mL wash and the full bowl with 2000 mL wash (p < .0004). Total protein reduction was significantly less in the low-fill bowl with 1000 mL wash as compared to the other bowl treatments (p < .05). In conclusion, the quality of the washed product did not vary significantly between fill or wash volumes, with the exception of the low-fill bowl with 1000 mL wash.

[Perioperative salvage and use of autologous blood]. / Perioperativ opsamling og brug af autologt blod.

Pre-operative blood donation gives ready availability of large volumes of patient compatible blood, up to four units and five when erythropoietin is used. It is recommended that autologous pre-donated blood is leucocyte depleted immediately after the donation. During normovolaemic haemodilution it is mandatory to monitor haemodynamics during the donation. Usually 1-2 units are removed pre-operatively and returned during or after the operation. Intra and postoperative salvage and recycling is performed either with washing and haemoconcentration of the blood or with salvage and immediate retransfusion. When salvaged blood is retransfused unwashed there are high levels of free haemoglobin, degradation products of fibrin/fibrinogen, interleukin-6 and activated complement. Clinically, this has not been shown to be of importance. Taking the patient's health status into account, we suggest that a level of B-haemoglobin should be determined pre-operatively to indicate use of transfusions both with autologous and allogeneic blood.

Preoperative chemoradiation and pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

Chemoradiation prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy ensures that all patients who undergo resection complete multimodality therapy, avoids resection in patients with rapidly progressive disease, and allows radiation therapy to be delivered to well-oxygenated cells before surgical devascularization. Twenty-eight patients with cytologic or histologic proof of localized adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head received preoperative chemoradiation (fluorouracil, 300 mg/m2 per day, and 50.4 Gy) with the intent of proceeding to resection; all 28 completed this preoperative therapy. Hospital admission because of gastrointestinal toxic effects was required in nine patients, yet no patient experienced a delay in operation. Restaging was performed 4 to 5 weeks after completion of chemoradiation, and five patients were found to have metastatic disease; the 23 patients without evidence of progressive disease underwent laparotomy. At laparotomy, three patients were found to have unsuspected metastatic disease, three patients had unresectable locally advanced disease, and 17 patients were able to undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy. One perioperative death resulted from myocardial infarction, and perioperative complications occurred in three patients. Histologic evidence of tumor cell injury was present in all resected specimens. Our results suggest that pancreaticoduodenectomy can be performed with a low incidence of complications after chemoradiation for localized adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

Autologous whole plasma fibrin gel. Intraoperative procurement.

Fibrin glue is a relatively recent addition to the armamentarium of hemostatic agents for surgical use. Its efficacy has been repeatedly demonstrated in almost all surgical disciplines and subspecialties. Its use in the United States has been limited because of the risk of viral transmission associated with the use of human plasma. Previous authors have described techniques that limit this risk, but they are frequently impractical, expensive, or cumbersome. We describe the use of patients' own fresh plasma to make fibrin gel at the operative field. It provided hemostasis at least as good as that from heterologous plasma glue in 40 cardiac surgical patients. Autologous whole plasma fibrin gel is inexpensive and safe and eliminates the risk of viral transmission associated with glue derived from heterologous donor plasma.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy without homologous blood transfusion in an anemic Jehovah's Witness.

Whipple pancreaticoduodenectomy is an accepted procedure for management of periampullary and pancreatic carcinomas and has modern mortality rates of less than 10%. The procedure is associated with significant operative blood loss. Therefore, blood transfusion is an important supportive measure. We report the case of a bleeding ampullary carcinoma in a Jehovah's Witness who refused transfusion of all homologous blood products. Despite a preoperative hemoglobin level of 51 g/L, curative pancreaticoduodenectomy was successfully performed. The success of the procedure can be primarily attributed to careful surgical technique, intraoperative autotransfusion, avoidance of postoperative complications, minimization of perioperative phlebotomies, use of human recombinant erythropoietin, and, possibly, the use of the perfluorocarbon emulsion Fluosol DA-20%. The case illustrates several important principles for the surgical treatment of patients with severe anemia who refuse transfusion of homologous blood products.