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PURPOSE: Anesthesia nurses play an important postsurgical role during the anesthesia recovery period, which is characterized by a high incidence of complications related to anesthesia and surgery. Strengthening staff allocation and skill management in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is therefore particularly important in managing length of stay. We aimed to investigate the effect of two schedule modes for anesthesia nurses on PACU efficiency. DESIGN: A retrospective observational cohort study. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study in a large tertiary academic medical center. In 2018, the PACU operated with traditional scheduling and the nurse-to-patient ratio was 1.2:1. The PACU implemented intensive scheduling and this ratio was adjusted to 1:1 in 2019 by adjusting the anesthesia nurse allocation scheme. We compared the number of admitted patients, length of PACU stay, the incidence of anesthesia-related complications, and nurse satisfaction with the two modes. FINDINGS: The total number of admitted patients was 10,531 in 2018 and 10,914 in 2019. PACU admitted 401 more patients in 2019 than in 2018, even with two fewer nurses per day. Nevertheless, the median length of PACU stay in 2019 was statistically significantly shorter than in 2018 (29 [22-40] vs 28 [21-39], P < .001], while the incidence of anesthesia-related complications including postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, hypertension, and shivering were comparable in the 2 years (P > .091). The intensive scheduling implemented in 2019 received more satisfaction from nurses than the traditional scheduling applied in 2018 (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: The scheduling of anesthesia nurses affects PACU efficiency. The intensive scheduling mode implemented in 2019 resulted in a comparable number of admitted patients, a better quality of care, and higher nurse satisfaction than those under the traditional scheduling mode.
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BACKGROUND: Emergence delirium (ED) occurs immediately after emergence from general anesthesia, which may have adverse consequences. This cross-sectional survey assessed Chinese physicians' and nurses' knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practice regarding ED in adults. METHODS: Electronic questionnaires were sent to 93 major academic hospitals across mainland China and both attending anesthesiologists and anesthesia nurses were recommended to complete them. RESULTS: A total of 243 anesthesiologists and 213 anesthesia nurses participated in the survey. Most of the participants considered it a very important issue; however, less than one-third of them routinely assessed ED. In terms of screening tools, anesthesiologists preferred the Confusion Assessment Method, while anesthesia nurses reported using multiple screening tools. Divergence also appeared with regard to the necessity of monitoring the depth of anesthesia. Anesthesiologists considered it only necessary in high-risk patients, while the nurses considered that it should be carried out routinely. No unified treatment strategy nor medication was reported for ED treatment during the recovery period. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrated that there are high awareness levels among both Chinese anesthesiologists and anesthesia nurses regarding the importance of ED. However, a specific practice in terms of routine delirium assessment, anesthesia depth monitoring, and a standardized treatment algorithm needs to be implemented to improve ED management.
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Background: Emergence agitation (EA) in adult patients under general anesthesia leads to increased postoperative complications and heavy medical burden. Unfortunately, its pathogenesis has not been clarified until now. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between preoperative serum metabolites and EA. Methods: We used an untargeted metabolic analysis method to investigate the different metabolomes in the serum of EA patients and non-EA patients undergoing elective surgical procedures after the induction of general anesthesia. A Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score ≥ +2 was diagnosed as EA during postoperative emergence. Non-EA patients were matched with EA patients according to general characteristics. Preoperative serum samples of the two groups were collected to investigate the association between serum metabolites and EA development. Results: The serum samples of 16 EA patients with 34 matched non-EA patients were obtained for metabolic analysis. After screening and alignment with databases, 31 altered metabolites were detected between the two groups. These metabolites were mainly involved in the metabolism of lipids, purines, and amino acids. Analyses of receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that the preoperative alterations of choline, cytidine, glycerophosphocholine, L-phenylalanine, oleamide, and inosine may be associated with adult EA. Conclusion: Multiple metabolic abnormalities (including those for lipids, purines, and amino acids) and other pathological processes (e.g., neurotransmitter imbalance and oxidative stress) may contribute to EA. Several altered metabolites in serum before surgery may have predictive value for EA diagnosis. This study might afford new metabolic clues for the understanding of EA pathogenesis.
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BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the most common treatment for end-stage knee osteoarthritis and continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) has become the gold standard for analgesia. But the lack of knowledge about CFNB and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) often leads to inappropriate dose of medications and increased workload for ward nurses. METHODS: After retrospectively registering to http://www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR1800018957), 60 patients undergoing unilateral TKA were randomly divided into groups A and B (n = 30 each). Patients in group B and their families received a nurse-led preoperative visit the day before surgery focusing on PCA educational pamphlets for postoperative pain management. Before returning to the ward, patients and their families in both groups received face-to-face PCA pump operation training. The usual postoperative follow-up was performed by nurse anesthetists for 2 consecutive days. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores at rest and during movement, knowledge of the PCA evaluated by a ten-question questionnaire, knee flexion angles, and the number of PCA-related nurse calls were recorded. RESULTS: The VAS scores at rest and during movement of the patients in group B were both significantly lower than in group A on postoperative days 1 and 2. The questionnaire scores of the patients in group B were much higher than those in group A on postoperative day 1, but not on day 2. Patients in the 2 groups had similar knee flexion on postoperative days 1 and 2. Patients in group B asked for assistance from the ward nurses with the PCA fewer times than those in group A, and the ward nurses were more satisfied with the analgesic protocol in group B. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced preoperative education for CFNB with PCA can provide patients with a better grasp of postoperative pain management, improve the postoperative analgesic effect after TKA, and reduce the PCA-related workload for ward nurses. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered to ChiCTR (identifier: ChiCTR1800018957 ) on October 18, 2018.
