Etiology of postanesthetic and postsedation events on the inpatient ward: data from a rapid response team at a tertiary care children's hospital.

INTRODUCTION: The goal of this study was to identify the etiology of events and demographics of patients that experience complications requiring activation of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) during the first 24 h following anesthetic care. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the Quality Improvement database from the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital. The database was searched to identify those patients who had a RRT evaluation activated within 24 h of receiving anesthesia or procedural sedation. These patients' charts were reviewed to obtain demographic information, etiology of the RRT call, and outcomes. RESULTS: The study cohort included 106 RRT calls that were made over a 3-year period. Six patients were excluded from analysis due to incomplete datasets. One hundred patients remained for analysis including 60 males and 40 females. Patients ranged in age from 0.08 to 31.21 years (7.8 ± 7.7 years, median 5.3 years). Seventy-one patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) status 3 or 4 and 29 patients were ASA status 1 or 2. Five calls were made for patients who had undergone procedural sedation while the other 95 were on patients who received general anesthesia. The average time to the RRT call after the end of anesthetic care was 11.4 ± 6.6 h. Respiratory concern was the most common reason for RRT initiation, accounting for 71 of the 100 calls. Forty-nine patients had a recent respiratory illness, chronic respiratory-related disease, or history of preterm birth. Fifty patients (50%) were transferred to a higher level of care following the RRT consult. There was no significant difference between age, gender, ASA status, or etiology of the event for patients transferred vs. those who were not. A significant difference was noted in the Pediatric Early Warning Score of patients transferred to a higher level of care in comparison to patients who remained on the floor (4 ± 2 vs. 3 ± 2, P = 0.0097). CONCLUSION: RRT calls were most common for respiratory concerns. High ASA status, general anesthesia administration, and the presence of acute or chronic conditions prior to anesthetic administration predispose a patient to perioperative complications resulting in the need for an RRT call.

Short-term complications and long-term morbidities associated with repeated unplanned extubations.

OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics associated with repeated unplanned extubations, short-term complications and outcomes, and longer-term morbidities including acquired subglottic stenosis. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study including neonates admitted to a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit who experienced an unplanned extubation in a 5-year period. RESULTS: We reviewed 588 events involving 300 patients. Ten percent had airway trauma with reintubation, 42% required ≥2 reintubation attempts, and 39% led to increased baseline oxygen. Increased odds of repeated events were seen in patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and were associated with higher rates of tracheostomy and longer length of stay. The 9% of patients diagnosed with acquired subglottic stenosis had more unplanned extubations, higher rates of airway trauma and tracheitis, and were an older gestational age at birth. CONCLUSION: Unplanned extubations lead to short- and long-term morbidities. Certain patient characteristics are associated with increased odds of repeated events and the development of acquired subglottic stenosis.

A Quality Improvement Approach to Reduce Unplanned Extubation in the NICU While Avoiding Sedation and Restraints.

The unplanned extubation (UE), a common adverse event in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), may result in airway trauma, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and, in extreme cases, death. As part of the Nationwide Children's Hospital NICU's effort to optimize NICU graduates' neurodevelopmental outcomes, skin-to-skin care of intubated infants is encouraged, while sedation and restraints to prevent UE are strongly discouraged. This project aimed to decrease the UE rate from 1.85 to 1.5 per 100 endotracheal tube (ETT) days. METHODS: The project occurred in a 114-bed, level-IV NICU with approximately 850 admissions per year and 100% outborn infants. A multidisciplinary team began biweekly meetings to review all UE events, later separating these into preventable and nonpreventable. Important ongoing tests of change included assigning a single process owner for UE reporting, ensuring proper ETT securement, and using 2 clinical staff during patient and/or ETT manipulation. RESULTS: Early in the project, enhanced detection led to an increased rate from 1.85 to 3.26 per 100 ETT days. However, identifying preventable events empowered staff to decrease the frequency to 2.03 per 100 ETT days. In August 2017, an ETT taping method change produced an increase in special causes due to decreased compliance. However, when securement methods were enhanced, noncompliance reversed and is now trending favorably. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing UE in a neurodevelopmentally friendly unit, which avoids sedation and restraints, is challenging. Using a multidisciplinary quality improvement approach and after appropriately capturing events, we reduced UE, with the highest impact of intervention being ETT securement standardization.

Use of quality improvement (QI) methodology to decrease length of stay (LOS) for newborns with uncomplicated gastroschisis.

PURPOSE: Gastroschisis is a congenital defect of the abdominal wall leading to considerable morbidity and long hospitalizations. The purpose of this study was to use quality improvement methodology to standardize care in the management of gastroschisis that may contribute to length of stay (LOS). METHODS: A gastroschisis quality improvement team established a best-practice protocol in order to decrease LOS in infants with uncomplicated gastroschisis. The specific aim was to decrease median LOS from a baseline of 34days. We used statistical process control charts including rational subgroup analysis to monitor LOS. RESULTS: From December 2008 to December 2016, 119 patients with uncomplicated gastroschisis were evaluated. Retrospective data were obtained on 25 patients prior to protocol implementation. Ninety-four patients with uncomplicated gastroschisis comprised the prospective process stage. The median LOS for this retrospective cohort was 34days (IQR: 30.5-50.5), while the median LOS for the prospective cohort following implementation of the protocol decreased to 29days (IQR: 23-43). CONCLUSIONS: With the use of quality improvement methodology, including standardization of care and a change in surgical approach, the median LOS for newborns with uncomplicated gastroschisis at our institution decreased from 34days to 29days. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.