Establishment of a national quality improvement process on oxygen delivery index during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Targeted oxygen delivery during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has received significant attention due to its influence on patient outcomes, especially in mitigating acute kidney injury. While it has gained popularity in select institutions, there remains a gap in establishing it globally across multiple centers. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the development of a quality improvement process of targeted oxygen delivery during CPB across hospitals throughout the United States. A systematic approach to utilize oxygen delivery index (DO2i) as a key performance indicator within hospitals serviced by a national provider of perfusion services. The process included a review of the current literature on DO2i, which yielded a target nadir value (272 mL/min/m2) and an area under the curve (DO2i272AUC) cut off of 632. All data is displayed on a dashboard with results categorized across multiple levels from system-wide to individual clinician performance. From January 2020 through December 2022, DO2i data from 91 hospitals and 11,165 coronary artery bypass graft procedures were collected. During this period the monthly proportion of DO2i measurements above the target nadir DO2i272 ranged from 60.5% to 78.4% with a mean+/-SD of 70.8 +/- 4.2%. Binary logistic regression for the first 7 months following monthly DO2i performance reporting has shown a statistically significant positive linear trend in the probability of achieving the target DO2i272 (p < .001), with a crude increase of approximately 7.8% for DO2i272AUC, and a 73.8% success rate (p < .001). A survey was sent to all individuals measuring oxygen delivery during CPB to assess why a target DO2i272 could not be reached. The two most common responses were an 'inability to improve CPB flow rates' and 'restrictive allogeneic red blood cell transfusion policies'. This study demonstrates that targeting a minimum level of oxygen delivery can serve as a key performance indicator during CPB using a structured quality improvement process.

Noteworthy Literature in Cardiac Anesthesia for 2019.

This article represents a selective review of literature published in 2019. Initial results from PubMed searching for a combination of terms, including cardiac anesthesiology and anesthesiology outcomes, yielded more than 1400 publications. From there, we manually screened the results and identified 5 major themes for the year of 2019, including transcatheter techniques, delirium and anesthesiology, coagulation management following cardiopulmonary bypass, perfusion management with del Nido cardioplegia, and applied clinical research. The following research accomplishments have expanded what is possible and set ambitious goals for the future.

Pre-Health Professional Perceptions: Should a Formal Stress Relief Program Be Implemented in the Workplace?

Stress, depression, and burnout are a burden on employees and the health care system. These adverse mental states are interlinked, with burnout being a medical condition resulting from the unsuccessful management of chronic stress. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of pre-health student self-care mechanisms, stress coping strategies, and preferences for on-the-job stress relief. This was a convenience sample survey of three pre-health programs with a total of 60 subject responses. The primary endpoint was whether the pre-health students felt they wanted a formal stress relief program to be implemented at work in their future career. Secondary outcomes included stress coping strategies, self-care mechanisms, and barriers to good work-life balance. On a 5-point Likert scale (5 being very important), the mean score for a formal stress relief program was 3.6 ± 1.2, with 60% of the students selecting a score ≥4. Students scored "break rooms/relaxation rooms," "time with family and/or friends," and "being on-call too often" the highest in terms of perceived importance for stress coping, self-care, and as a barrier to work-life balance, respectively. Health care employers should consider implementing a formal stress relief program on-site with consideration for specific pre-health student stress coping and self-care strategies. This type of program has the potential to reduce employee stress and the negative consequences on the employee and health care system.

Neuroprotection Strategies in Aortic Surgery.

Neurologic injury is a potentially devastating complication of aortic surgery. The methods used in aortic surgery, including systemic cooling, initiation of circulatory arrest, and rewarming during the replacement of the aortic arch, are the most complex circulatory management and surgical procedures performed in modern-day surgery. Despite the plethora of published literature, neuroprotection in aortic surgery is largely based on observational studies and institutional-based practices. This article summarizes the current evidence and emerging strategies for neuroprotection in aortic arch operations.

A Clinical Protocol for Goal Directed Cerebral Perfusion during Aortic Arch Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal strategy to deliver antegrade cerebral perfusion for cerebral protection during hypothermic circulatory arrest has not been established. The purpose of this review was to present our current clinical protocol utilizing selective antegrade cerebral perfusion during aortic arch surgery and to compare it to other published experience. CLINICAL PROTOCOL: Since 2013, our clinical protocol for aortic arch surgery has evolved to using selective antegrade cerebral perfusion via the innominate artery, moderate hypothermia, and ancillary strategies such as goal-directed perfusion (GDP). Other published techniques favored antegrade cerebral perfusion but were limited by smaller cannulae, multiple cannulation sites, and lower cooling temperatures. CONCLUSION: Our clinical protocol may offer higher flow rates, avoid complications associated with additional cannulae, and provide an easy setup for dual arterial perfusion. Additionally, GDP has enhanced our understanding of metabolic physiology and may facilitate the development of a better cerebral protection strategy.

Short-term and longer-term survival after veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in an adult patient population: does older age matter?

BACKGROUND: Veno-arterial (V-A) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly being used for patients with refractory cardiopulmonary failure. This study evaluates the short-term (to discharge) and longer-term (1 year) survival among older (⩾65 years) versus younger (<65 years) adults, adjusted for comorbidities, in a diverse cohort of V-A ECMO patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of 131 adult patients (28% ⩾65 years old) who received V-A ECMO at an academic medical center from 2004-2013. Demographics, comorbidities and surgical characteristics were abstracted from the medical records and verified. Mortality status at discharge and at one year post-ECMO were determined by the hospital clinical information system, updated monthly with Social Security Death Index data. Cox proportional hazard analyses were conducted to evaluate associations between age strata and mortality at discharge and at one year post ECMO initiation, adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: The survival rate following V-A ECMO was 48% (n=68/131) to discharge and 44% (n=58/131) to one year. Age ⩾65 versus <65 was significantly associated with increased mortality during hospitalization (HR:2.03; 95%CI=1.23-3.33) and at one year (HR:1.81; 95% CI=1.12-2.93); these associations were attenuated and did not retain statistical significance after adjustment for comorbidities (HR:1.61; 95%CI=0.90-2.88 and HR:1.42; 95% CI=0.81-2.50, respectively). Statistically significant predictors of mortality at discharge and one year included history of coronary artery bypass graft, peripheral vascular disease and renal failure/dialysis (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Older age was not independently associated with short-term or longer-term survival among V-A ECMO patients, but may reflect greater comorbidity, suggesting that age alone may not disqualify patients from V-A ECMO therapy.

Duration of conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation prior to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation and survival among adult cardiac arrest patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between survival and the duration of conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR) prior to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and possible confounding factors. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 31 adults who received ECPR at an academic medical center between 2004 and 2013. Odds of 30-day survival and Kaplan Meier survival curves were compared among patients who received CCPR ⩾ 45 min (n=8, 26%) vs. <45 min (n=23, 74%). RESULTS: There was a trend for greater survival up to 14 days in patients who received CCPR <45 vs. ⩾ 45 minutes (57% vs. 50%) with no significant difference at 30 days (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.22-5.45) and survival did not differ by demographic factors. CONCLUSION: More than half of all patients who received ECPR survived to 30 days. Longer duration CCPR was associated with reduced survival within 2 weeks, but not at 30 days.

Survival Following Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Mortality in a Diverse Patient Population.

Racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease are well established; however, there is limited information about survival differences following veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in contemporary adult populations. The purpose of this study was to assess survival at discharge, 30 days, and at 1 year following institution of VV-ECMO in an ethnically diverse population, and to examine potential risk factors for mortality. This was a single-center study of 41 patients (49% female, 27% minorities, 7% > 65 years) who received VV-ECMO between the years 2004 and 2013 at an academic medical center. Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated to assess survival up to 1 year, and cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association between risk factors, mortality, and confounders. Overall, 76% (n = 31) of VV-ECMO patients survived to discharge and 30 days and 71% (n = 29) survived to 1 year. Whites (n = 30) had a higher survival at 1 year compared to minorities (n = 11) (83% vs. 36%, respectively, p = .01). Minorities had a significantly increased risk of mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42-18.09) and at 1 year (HR = 5.19, 95% CI = 1.63-16.55). Race/ethnicity remained a significant independent predictor of survival at 30 days except when history of shock or lung transplantation was included in adjusted regression models. VV-ECMO was associated with an excellent overall survival up to 1 year. Racial/ethnic minorities had a 5-fold increased risk for 30-day mortality, which was largely explained by a lower likelihood of lung transplantation and increased risk of shock.