ABSTRACT
Administration of post-operative opioids following pediatric tonsillectomy can elicit respiratory events in this patient population that often arise as central and obstructive sleep apnea. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether a perioperative combination of dexmedetomidine and acetaminophen could eliminate post-operative (in recovery and at home) opioid requirements. Following IRB approval and a waiver for informed consent, the medical records of 681 patients who underwent tonsillectomy between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2018 were evaluated. Between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015, all patients received a fentanyl-sevoflurane-based anesthetic, without acetaminophen or dexmedetomidine, and received opioids in recovery and for discharge home. On 1 January 2016, an institution-wide practice change replaced this protocol with a multimodal perioperative regimen of acetaminophen (intravenous or enteral) and dexmedetomidine and eliminated post-operative opioids. This is the first time that the effect of an acetaminophen and dexmedetomidine combination on the perioperative and home opioid requirement has been reported. Primarily, we compared the need for rescue opioids in the post-anesthesia care period and after discharge. The multi-modal protocol eliminated the need for post-tonsillectomy opioid administration. Dexmedetomidine in combination with acetaminophen eliminated the need for post-operative opioids in the recovery period.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) share many risk factors, and cardiac and renal dysfunction often coexist. The close association between HF and CKD worsens patient prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between progressing CKD with rates of hospitalization, 30-day readmission, and mortality in patients with HF. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016, in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region. All patients age 18 years or older with a diagnosis of comorbid CKD and HF were included. Patients were excluded if they were noncontinuous members of Kaiser Permanente. Those included in the study were stratified into 2 cohorts: Early-stage CKD (stages 1, 2, and 3) and late-stage CKD (stages 4 and 5) on the basis of their estimated glomerular filtration rate in accordance with the National Kidney Foundation. RESULTS: A total of 27,366 patients were identified with comorbid HF and CKD. At the first year of follow-up, patients with HF and late-stage CKD had higher all-cause hospitalization (rate ratio [RR] = 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48-1.65, p < 0.001), HF-related hospitalization (RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.20-1.41, p = 0.001), and 30-day readmission rates (RR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.31-1.63, p < 0.001) compared with patients with HF and early-stage CKD. In subsequent follow-up years, patients continued to have higher all-cause and HF-related hospitalization rates in late-stage CKD. The late-stage CKD cohort had a significantly higher risk of 5-year mortality (hazard ratio = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.35-1.45, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Stage 4 and 5 CKD is a significant contributor to poor prognosis in patients with HF, leading to significantly higher rates of hospitalization, 30-day readmission, and mortality.
