Postoperative Critical Care Admission Was Not Associated with Improved Postoperative Outcomes in Elective Colorectal Surgery: Secondary Analysis Of POWER Trial.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of routine admission of high-risk patients to a critical care unit after surgery is not clear. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between critical care admission after scheduled colorectal surgery and postoperative complications, 30-day mortality, and length of stay in hospital. METHODS: A pre-defined secondary substudy of POWER study was performed. POWER study was a prospective multicenter observational study of patients undergoing elective primary colorectal surgery during a single period of two months of recruitment between September and December 2017. RESULTS: A total of 2084 patients from 80 Spanish hospitals were included, of which 722 (34.6%) were admitted to critical care unit (CCU) after elective surgery. After adjusting for confounding factors in the multivariate analysis, postoperative CCU admission was independently associated with a higher incidence of moderate-to-severe postoperative complications (adjusted OR 1.951, 95% CI 1.570, 2.425; p < 0.001). Regarding secondary outcomes, postoperative critical care admission was independently associated with higher 30-day mortality (adjusted OR 6.736; 95% CI 2.507, 18.101; p < 0.001) and independently associated with an increased hospital length of stay (adjusted OR 1.143, 95% CI 1.112, 1.175; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Direct admission to CCU after scheduled colorectal surgery was not associated with a reduction in moderate-to-severe postoperative complications.

Uhthoff's phenomenon in a patient with multiple sclerosis during the perioperative period for hip surgery. Case report / Fenómeno de Uhthoff en paciente con esclerosis múltiple durante perioperatorio de cirugía de cadera. Reporte de un caso

Abstract Increase in body temperature is associated with neurological deficit exacerbations in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). These are corrected with the resolution of hyperthermia, in what is known as Uhthoff's phenomenon. A 65-year-old patient with primary progressive MS, admitted because of hip fracture, developed acute respiratory failure in association with elevation in body temperature (38 °C) due to an increase in room temperature. Additional tests ruled out infection, pulmonary thromboembolism, or other concomitant processes. The patient's respiratory condition improved following a change in room temperature and the use of pharmacological treatment for hyperthermia. She was taken to surgery under general anesthesia 3 days after admission, with tight temperature monitoring, and surgery proceeded uneventfully. Anesthetic management in patients with MS is important, requiring close control of body temperature to avoid comorbidities and perioperative complications.

Resumen El aumento de la temperatura corporal se asocia a exacerbación de déficits neurológicos en pacientes con esclerosis múltiple (EM) que se corrigen con la resolución de la hipertermia, proceso denominado fenómeno de Uhthoff. Una paciente de 65 años con EM primaria progresiva, hospitalizada por fractura de cadera, presentó un cuadro de insuficiencia respiratoria aguda en relación al aumento de temperatura corporal (38 °C) debido a un incremento en la temperatura ambiental. Las pruebas complementarias descartaron patología infecciosa, tromboembolismo pulmonar y otros procesos intercurrentes. La paciente presentó mejoría respiratoria tras modificar la temperatura de la habitación y recibir tratamiento farmacológico para la hipertermia. Al tercer día de ingreso fue operada bajo anestesia general con control estricto de temperatura corporal, sin incidencias. Es importante el manejo anestésico en pacientes con EM, siendo el control estricto de la temperatura corporal necesario para evitar comorbilidad y complicaciones perioperatorias.