Surgical patients' perception about risks related to blood transfusion: A cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the perception of surgical patients at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) about the risks related to blood transfusion. The ultimate aim was to influence patients' acceptability of blood transfusion by reducing their fears through effective counselling. BACKGROUND: AKUH has a hospital-based blood bank with more than 90% family replacement donation. Many patients perceive blood transfusion as a risky procedure. This survey will help healthcare practitioners in addressing patients' concerns more effectively while counselling them about blood transfusion. METHODS/MATERIALS: It was a cross-sectional survey of patients attending anaesthesia clinic at AKUH during the study period. It assessed patients' perception about adverse effects associated with blood transfusion. RESULTS: A total of 363 patients were included. Among the participants, 18% considered blood transfusion to be very often or always risky. Blood transfusion related infections were considered most frequently occurring adverse events. Female patients were more concerned about the risks (p = 0.046). CONCLUSION: Many patients consider blood transfusion as a high-risk procedure. Healthcare professionals need to understand patient's perceptions and conduct patient counselling accordingly. This will help physicians in addressing patient-specific concerns related to blood transfusion. Improved knowledge is hoped to translate into improvement in transfusion practices at the national level.

Pain assessment in intensive care units of a low-middle income country: impact of the basic educational course.

BACKGROUND: Patients admitted to ICU usually have moderate-to-severe pain at rest and during care-related activities. The "Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT)" is a reliable and validated objective assessment tool for those patients who cannot self-report pain in ICU. The objectives of the educational course were to assess the baseline knowledge, and practice of pain assessment in critically ill patients and reassess the same in all participants of the course by comparing the results of pre and post-test. METHODS: The educational course of six hours of contact time on the use of CPOT for pain assessment in ICU patients was designed and conducted by the authors after approval from the Ethics Review Committee, Aga Khan University. This educational course was delivered at five different tertiary care hospitals in the Sindh province of Pakistan. A pre-test consisting of 25 true/false multiple-choice questions was conducted at the beginning of the course to assess the baseline knowledge, and practice of participants regarding pain assessment in critically ill patients and the same test was taken at the end of the course. RESULTS: A total of 205 critical care physicians and nursing staff attended the courses. Both pre-test and post-test were completed by 149 (72.6%) participants, of which 53 (35.6%) were female and 96 (64.4%) were male. The mean pre-test score of participants was 57.83 ± 11.86 and the mean post-test score of participants was 67.43 ± 12.96 and this was statistically significant (p = < 0.01). In univariate analysis, the effect of training was significantly higher in the female gender (p = 0.0005) and in those participants, who belong to the metropolitan city (p = 0.010). In multivariate analysis, participants from non-metropolitan cities showed less improvement in post-test scores compared to those who come from the metropolitan city (p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: The participating physicians and nurses showed a positive impact on the knowledge and clinical skills regarding pain assessment in CIPs. The participants from hospitals in metropolitan cities showed a significant improvement over those who were from non-metropolitan cities.

Improving Postgraduate Anaesthesiology Training in a Low-Middle Income Country by Embracing the New Trends in Medical Education.

Postgraduate medical training has increasingly adapted to competency-based medical education (CBME). In an endeavour to stay abreast with the new trends in medical education and adapt to CBME frameworks, an in-depth review and revision of the Anaesthesiology training curriculum were conducted. The authors worked on the task from December 2020 to December 2021. Learning outcomes were defined and corresponding competencies were identified and relevant teaching, learning and assessment strategies were aligned with each learning outcome. Additionally, lists were devised for topics to be covered through didactic lectures and simulation-based workshops. The revised curriculum is currently being implemented in a phased manner. Formative workplace-based assessment tools are being introduced to complement CBME. Moreover, daily clinical assessments, entrustable professional activity (EPA), simulation-based workshops and assessments have been introduced. Key Words: Anaesthesiology, Postgraduate training, Curriculum revision, Competency-based medical education, Low-middle income country, Simulation-based training.

Relationship of Abdominal Circumference and Trunk Length With Spinal Anesthesia Block Height in Geriatric Patients Undergoing Transurethral Resection of Prostate.

INTRODUCTION: Spinal anesthesia is commonly used for various surgical procedures. Prediction of spinal anesthesia block height is always a challenging task for anesthetists. Higher than desired levels of spinal anesthesia blocks are associated with serious side effects, while inadequate block height does not provide satisfactory surgical anesthesia. In this study, we observed the relationship between the ratio of trunk length (TL) and square of the abdominal circumference (AC2) and spinal anesthesia sensory block height in geriatric patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). MATERIAL & METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan, on geriatric patients undergoing TURP under spinal anesthesia. Forty-three elderly patients (American Society of Anaesthesiology level I-III) between 60 and 80 years were recruited for the study. In hospital wards, trunk length (TL) and abdominal circumference were recorded before the procedure. In the operating rooms, spinal anesthesia was performed at L3-L4 intervertebral space with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 10mg (2mls). Block height was measured by the placement of ice pads at different dermatomes. Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to analyze the physical parameters (TL/AC2) and spinal anesthesia block height.  Results: The ratio of trunk length and square of the abdominal circumference (TL/AC2) correlates with spinal anesthesia block height in geriatric patients, where the spearman rank correlation coefficient was r =-0.284 with p = 0.015. CONCLUSION: The ratio of the long axis (TL) and transection area of the abdomen (AC2), which coincides with (TL/AC2), correlated with spinal anesthesia sensory block height. Hence, elderly patients with a low TL/AC2 ratio will have higher block height after spinal anesthesia.

Enhancing Patient Safety through Education in a Low-to-Middle-Income Country: Training in the Correct Application of Cricoid Pressure.

Background: Cricoid pressure (CP) is applied to occlude the esophagus during endotracheal intubation in patients at an increased risk of aspiration of gastric contents. Evidence shows marked deficiencies in knowledge and skills for CP application among personnel responsible for this task. This study evaluated the effectiveness of CP training in improving knowledge and skills regarding CP application among anesthesiology technicians and critical care nurses and assessed the retention of skills after 2 months. Methods: Five workshops were conducted on effective application of CP. Indications, relevant anatomy, physiology, and correct technique were taught using interactive sessions and videos and hands-on practice on a weighing scale, 50-mL syringe, and trainer model. Pre- and postworkshop tests were conducted for knowledge and skill. An assessment was repeated after 2 months to assess skill retention. Results: Five workshops were conducted for 102 participants. Statistically significant improvements were seen in mean scores for knowledge in postworkshop assessments (12.32 ± 2.12 versus 7.12 ± 2.32; P < .01). Similarly, posttraining mean scores for skill assessment were significantly higher than pretraining scores (6.31 ± 0.96 versus 2.72 ± 2.00; P < .0005), indicating an overall 131% improvement. Seventy-four participants appeared for assessment of the retention of skills. A 20% decrement was observed compared with posttraining scores (5.15 ± 1.71 versus 6.45 ± 0.86; P < .0005). Conclusions: A significant improvement was observed in both knowledge and skills immediately following training. However, this does not ensure long-term retention of clinical skills, as a 20% decrement was observed 2 months after the workshops. Formal training and regular practice are recommended to enable clinicians to perform CP effectively.

X-ray and MRI Correlation of Bone Tumors Using Histopathology As Gold Standard.

Introduction Bone tumors are a common pathology of the musculoskeletal system being frequently encountered by clinicians. Radiological workup is a mainstay in the diagnostic workup of bone tumors. This study aimed to highlight the importance of plain radiography and MRI in the diagnosis of bone tumors keeping histopathology as a gold standard. It is a descriptive validation study conducted in the Radiology Department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad. Methodology The study included 92 patients with suspected bone lesions. After taking a complete history and receiving informed written consent. X-rays radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging were performed. X-ray radiograph and magnetic resonance imaging parameters were recorded and compared with the histopathology of lesions as a standard. Results The mean age of patients was 30.50 ± 8.95 years. Of 92 patients examined on X-ray, 51 (55.4%) had lytic lesions, 34 (37.0%) had sclerotic lesions, and seven (7.6 %) had mixed lesions. MRI revealed the location of the lesion. There were 25 (27.2%) bone lesions in diaphysis, 19 (20.7%) in metaphysis, nine (9.8%) at meta-diaphysis, and 32 (34.8 %) in the meta-epiphyseal region. These findings were later on confirmed with histopathological results. Conclusion MRI can differentiate soft-tissue components and periosteal reactions. An X-ray radiograph can provide information about bony matrix and calcifications within tumors. After analysis of imaging findings and histopathological results, it is concluded that these modalities can be used to diagnose bone tumors with high diagnostic accuracy.

The Diagnostic Accuracy of Carotid Doppler in Detecting Anechoic Thrombus Against CT Angiography as the Gold Standard.

Objective In this study, we aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of carotid Doppler ultrasound (CDU) in detecting anechoic carotid artery thrombus when compared to CT angiography (CTA) as the gold standard. Materials and methods This prospective comparative study was conducted at the Radiology Department of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad from January 2022 to May 2022. The study enrolled 32 patients who met the inclusion criteria. We evaluated patients admitted to the neurology ward/OPD who were referred to radiology as part of a stroke workup based on their clinical examination and medical history. In all patients, CDU was used to detect free-floating thrombus (FFT)/anechoic thrombus. CTA was used as the gold standard to assess the diagnostic accuracy of CDU. Results The mean age of the study participants was 45.63 ± 7.05 years (range: 33-59 years). Out of 32 patients, 19 (59.4%) were male and 13 (40.6%) were female. The results of CDU were confirmed by CTA in all patients. The diagnostic accuracy of CDU was 53.12% for detecting FFT. The values for sensitivity (54.55%), specificity (50%), positive predictive value (PPV, 70.59%), and negative predictive value (NPV, 33.33%) were also calculated. Conclusion Despite the limited sample size, the study concludes that CDU has a diagnostic accuracy of 53%. CTA still remains the gold standard imaging modality for anechoic thrombus if strong clinical suspicion is present.

Assessment Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome With Ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment neuropathy caused by compression of median nerve at wrist as it passes through Osseo fibrous canal known as carpal tunnel. Epidemiological statistics shows one in every ten people develops the disease at any stage of life. CTS mostly affect females than males with mean age of 50. Clinical features are considered to be enough for establishing the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, nerve conduction studies give quantitative information regarding median nerve function therefore good at predicting outcome of intervention. Ultrasound being easily available, cost effective and real time is a promising modality for diagnosis and grading carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: This correlational study was conducted in collaboration of Neurology and Radiology Department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad from January 2018 to January 2019. Total 50 patients with 85 wrists involved were included in the study. All patients with positive nerve conduction study were included. Patient with history of wrist trauma were not included. Detailed history and clinical features were recorded. All patients with positive result on nerve conduction studies underwent ultrasound examinations. Fifty control wrists were also included to establish the normal median nerve cross sectional area value in our study population. Results were recorded. Data was analyzed and appropriate statistical tests were applied by using SPSS v20. RESULTS: Mean cross sectional area of median nerve for controls was 6.34±1.23. Mean cross sectional area of median nerve for mild CTS was 8.05±1.72, moderate CTS was 11.15±2.32, severe was 17.49±4.93. Strong correlation was found between (r=0.76, p-value <0.0001) between increased cross-sectional area on Ultrasonography and severity of CTS on NCS. Other finding on Ultrasonography included flattening in 4 and fluid in 10 affected wrists. CONCLUSIONS: Increased cross-sectional area on Ultrasonography and severity of carpal tunnel syndrome on nerve conduction studies are very strongly correlated.

Accuracy of STOP-Bang Questionnaire in Predicting Difficult Mask Ventilation: An Observational Study.

Introduction Difficulty with bag-mask ventilation after the induction of general anesthesia and muscle relaxation places the patient at risk for a prolonged period of apnea and hypoxia and thus, at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to assess the accuracy of the STOP-Bang questionnaire in predicting difficult mask ventilation (DMV) in patients receiving general anesthesia for elective surgical procedures. Methods It was a prospective cross-sectional, observational study conducted at a university teaching hospital. A total of 530 patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation were enrolled. STOP-Bang questionnaire was filled at pre-operative anesthesia assessment. Ease or difficulty of mask ventilation was assessed and documented by a senior resident responsible for intraoperative anesthetic management. Results Out of 530 patients, 139 (26.22%) had a STOP-Bang score of ≥ 3, of whom 55 (39.5%) were found to have DMV. Out of 391 patients with a STOP-Bang score of < 3, only 29 patients (7.5%) had DMV (P ≤0.001). Snoring, high blood pressure, BMI more than 35 kg/m2, age more than 50 years, neck circumference more than 40 cm, and male gender were significantly associated with DMV. The accuracy of the STOP-Bang questionnaire in predicting difficult mask ventilation was 78.68% (95% CI 74.99-81.95) with a negative predictive value of 92.58%. The sensitivity and specificity were found to be 65.48% and 81.17% respectively. Conclusion STOP-Bang score has a high negative predictive value and can be very useful in ruling out the possibility of difficult mask ventilation.

Safety and effectiveness of ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks: Audit at tertiary care hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and effectiveness of peripheral nerve blocks using ultrasound. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of all patients who received peripheral nerve blocks as part of anaesthesia care between January 2015 and January 2017. The data included outcomes of peripheral nerve block effectiveness, complications and limb conditions after the block. Peripheral nerve block effectiveness was assessed by monitoring pain scores at rest and on movement, and the requirement of co-analgesia. Complications, like numbness, motor block, metallic taste, hypotension and respiratory depression, were also assessed. Data was analysed using SPSS 19. RESULTS: There were 299 patients who received ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks. The overall mean age was 44.57±16.64 years. Of the total, 140 (47%) received transversus abdominis plane block, followed by supraclavicular block 49(16.7%). The most common complication in the recovery room was numbness 19 (6.2%). Overall, 70% patients remained pain-free, while 16% had moderate pain on movement 12 hours postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia was found to provide effective analgesia during and after surgery. Nerve blocks proved to be safe when used with ultrasound.

Persistent post-surgical pain following breast cancer surgery: An observational study in a tertiary care hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of persistent pain in patients after breast cancer surgery, and to assess the distribution and characteristics of pain in such patients. METHODS: The prospective observational single cohort study was conducted at the Department of Anaesthesiology and in the Breast Clinic of the Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from August 2016 to January 2017, and comprised adult female patients with biopsy-proven carcinoma of breast who were scheduled for elective definitive breast cancer surgery. The patients were followed up for up to three months post-surgery and those with persistent pain were followed up for six months post-operation. Data was analysed using SPSS 19. RESULTS: Of the 120 patients, 26(21.7%) developed persistent post-surgical pain for up to three months, while in 17(14.2%) patients, the pain continued for up to six months after the operation. Among those with persistent post-surgical pain, 11(42.3%) had burning pain, 10(38.5%) had throbbing pain, 3(11.5%) had numbness and 2(7.7%)had mixed character of pain. Also, 11(42.3%)patients developed pain at more than one site including axilla, chest wall, upper arm and surgical scar area, and the site of pain in majority patients 15(57.7%) was axilla. CONCLUSION: The incidence of persistent pain following breast cancer surgery was found to be 21.7%.

Post-operative pain management modalities employed in clinical trials for adult patients in LMIC; a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Unrelieved postoperative pain afflicts millions each year in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Despite substantial advances in the study of pain, this area remains neglected. Current systematic review was designed to ascertain the types of clinical trials conducted in LMIC on postoperative pain management modalities over the last decade. METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed in June 2019 on PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science databases to identify relevant trials on the management of postoperative pain in LMIC. Out of 1450 RCTs, 108 studies were reviewed for quality evidence using structured form of critical appraisal skill program. Total of 51 clinical trials were included after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria. RESULTS: Results are charted according to the type of surgery. Eleven trials on laparoscopic cholecystectomy used multimodal analgesia including some form of regional analgesia. Different analgesic modalities were studied in 4 trials on thoracotomy, but none used multimodal approach. In 11 trials on laparotomy, multimodal analgesia was employed along with the studied modalities. In 2 trials on hysterectomy, preemptive pregabalin or gabapentin were used for reduction in rescue analgesia. In 13 trials on breast surgical procedures and 10 on orthopaedic surgery, multimodal analgesia was used with some form of regional analgesia. CONCLUSION: We found that over the past 10 years, clinical trials for postoperative pain modalities have evolved in LMIC according to the current postoperative pain management guidelines i.e. multi-modal approach with some form of regional analgesia. The current review shows that clinical trials were conducted using multimodal analgesia including but not limited to some form of regional analgesia for postoperative pain in LMIC however this research snapshot (of only three countries) may not exactly reflect the clinical practices in all 47 countries. Post Operative Pain Management Modalities Employed in Clinical Trials for Adult Patients in LMIC; A Systematic Review.

Mid-axillary transversus abdominis plane block and stress response after abdominal hysterectomy: A randomised controlled placebo trial.

BACKGROUND: The hormonal response to surgical trauma can have detrimental effects on patients. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, which can improve analgesia after total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) might attenuate the peri-operative stress response. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of the TAP block to reduce stress response, opioid consumption and pain following TAH and multimodal analgesia. DESIGN: Randomised, placebo-controlled double-blind study. SETTING: The current study was conducted at a university hospital from July 2016 to September 2017. PATIENTS: Fifty patients scheduled for TAH were included. Anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia were standardised. INTERVENTION: After induction of anaesthesia, patients were allocated into two groups: ultrasound-guided bilateral mid-axillary TAP block with 20 ml of bupivacaine 0.25% (Group T) or 0.9% saline (Group C). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Levels of free serum cortisol, metanephrine and normetanephrine at 60 min and 6, 12 and 24 h after surgical incision. Pain scores and opioid consumption during the first 24 h after surgery. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the median [IQR] peri-operative levels of stress hormones and pain scores between groups. Compared with baseline value 9.90 [4.2 to 23.1], free serum median cortisol levels were significantly high at 6 h in Group T, 23.6 [10.1 to 42.9] P = 0.015 and Group C 23.6 [9.9 to 46.3] P = 0.014. Only Group C showed significant elevation from the baseline median levels of plasma metanephrine at 60 min, 52.8 [33.4 to 193.2] P = 0.001, 6 h, 92.70 [2.4 to 202.6] P = 0.005 and normetanephrine at 60 min 83.44 [28.98 to 114.86] P = 0.004, 6 h 78.62 [36.6 to 162.31] P = 0.0005 and 24 h 80.96 [8.6 to 110.5] P = 0.025. Mean ±â€ŠSD opioid consumption was similar in both groups: 39.60 ±â€Š14.87 in Group T vs. 43.68 ±â€Š14.93 in Group C (P = 0.338). CONCLUSION: Mid-axillary TAP block does not improve stress response and analgesia in patients undergoing TAH receiving multimodal analgesia. TRAIL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT03443271.

Managing acute pain in HIV+/AIDS patients: knowledge and practice trends among emergency physicians of major tertiary care centers of a developing country.

OBJECTIVE: To assess knowledge and practice trends in managing acute pain in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+) or having acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among emergency physicians of four tertiary care hospitals. Acute pain management in such patients is complex because of multiple concomitant painful conditions related to their disease. After obtaining ethical approval and written informed consent, emergency physicians were requested to fill out a questionnaire. RESULTS: Out of 84 physicians who participated, 49 had managed HIV+/AIDS patients during the preceding year. Out of the 49, 30 (61.2%) physicians stated that they used a combination of analgesics for acute pain in these patients. Forty-two (50%) out of the 84 participants believed that routine doses of opioids were adequate for pain relief, while 42 (50%) agreed that pain management was more complex in these patients mainly due to presence of multiple coexisting problems and psychological issues. Only 26 (31%) respondents considered that pain was under-reported and under-treated in these patients, mainly because physicians were more focused on patients' other disease related complications and issues. Formulation of guidelines are recommended for effective acute pain management in these patients encompassing associated issues, including concomitant painful conditions, opioid dependence, psychiatric problems, etc.

Knowledge About Postoperative Pain and Its Management in Surgical Patients.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that more than 50% of patients have insufficient postoperative pain relief despite the use of multiple pain management modalities. Insufficient pain relief leads to several pathophysiological effects. One of the barriers to optimal pain relief is patient's lack of knowledge regarding the options available for pain management and their potential side effects. In this survey, we evaluated surgical patients' knowledge about postoperative pain and its management in patients undergoing major upper abdominal surgeries at a tertiary care hospital. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This was a cross-sectional survey. A total of 155 patients (18-60 years of age) scheduled to undergo elective major upper abdominal surgery were included after ethical approval and informed consent. Preoperatively, patients were interviewed through a questionnaire regarding knowledge about postoperative pain and its management. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 42.97 ± 13.05 years. Excellent and good knowledge were observed in 11.61% and 21.94% patients, respectively, whereas fair and poor knowledge were seen in 42.58% and 23.87%, respectively. Inadequate knowledge was more marked regarding analgesic side effects and addiction risk. Education level, history of surgery, and adequate information provision about pain management plan by surgeons preoperatively were significantly associated with a higher level of knowledge about pain and its management (p-value 0.0005, 0.002, and 0.0005, respectively). CONCLUSION: A considerable proportion of patients have inadequate knowledge about their postoperative pain and its management, particularly in areas of side effects and addiction risk.

Intravenous dexamethasone along with caudal block improves analgesic efficacy following day-case inguinal hernia repair in children: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of intravenous dexamethasone along with caudal block in improving analgesia following inguinal hernia repair in children. METHODS: The double-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted over a 6-month period from June 01, 2016 to November 30, 2016 at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised patients aged 1-5 years, scheduled for elective inguinal hernia repair. The subjects were randomised into two groups using the sealed envelope technique. Group D patients received 0.5mg/kg dexamethasone intravenous in 5ml, and group P was given placebo (5ml 0.9% saline). Assessment of postoperative pain was made through the faces, legs, activity, cry and consolability tool at 30 minutes and hourly for 4 hours. Rescue analgesia was given at pain score 3 or more with intravenous pethidine 0.5 mg/kg. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 64 patients, there were 55(85.9%) boys and 9(14.1%) girls. The overall mean age was 29.8}13.8 months. The mean postoperative pain score was significantly higher in group P (p<0.05). At 30 minutes and two hours postoperatively, need for analgesia was also significantly higher in group P (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In paediatric day-care inguinal hernia repair, dexamethasone could be used effectively for improving pain relief.

Correlation of Trainees' Selection Scores with their Subsequent Performance during Specialty Training in Anesthesiology.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation of trainee selection scores (TSS) with subsequent performance in anesthesiology trainees at a university hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from August 2016 to January 2017. METHODOLOGY: Data were collected on 44 anesthesiology trainees completing their training between 2009 and 2015. TSS consisted of entrance test, final-year medical school scores, and interviews. Assessment included written tests, viva voce, and clinical assessment. Non-parametric Spearman rank correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between scores. RESULTS: Weak correlation was found between TSS and overall assessment scores for first three years of training. Correlation of TSS with clinical component of assessment was weak throughout training, while it was moderately significant with cognitive component of assessment in third and fourth years of training. Correlation between interview scores and cognitive as well as clinical assessment was non-significant. TSS showed weak correlation with success in exit level examination. CONCLUSION: Correlation between overall TSS and assessment scores was weak for first three years of training, and becoming moderately positive in later years of training. Cognitive component of TSS had moderately positive correlation with cognitive assessment, but not with clinical performance. Anesthesiology training programmes need to strengthen their selection criteria; and development of structured interviews might prove useful. Future research should focus upon identifying most useful traits in selecting high performers in anesthesiology training.

Prospective survey to study factors which could influence same-day discharge after elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a tertiary care hospital of a developing country.

All laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) patients in our hospital setting are admitted overnight. This article assesses the contribution of factors like postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), postoperative pain and surgical complications to overnight stay after elective LC. This 1-year observational study included patients having normal liver functions undergoing elective LC before 1400 h. The collected data included patient demographics, co-morbidities, PONV, pain scores, complications, surgical time, anesthesia technique, use of prophylactic antiemetics, analgesics, patient satisfaction and desire to have this surgery as day case or in-patient procedure. From 930 LC done per annum, 45.2 % (430/950) patients were included in this study. Prophylactic antiemetic was given in 91.6 %, intraoperative narcotics in 94.2 % patients and multimodal analgesia in 85.3 %. The mean pain score in the recovery and ward was maintained to <4. In the ward, 99.1 % patients were able to start oral fluids after 6 h and were started on oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and paracetamol, and none required parental opioid. The PONV score of more than 2 was observed in only 3.2 % of patients in the ward requiring parenteral antiemetic. Surgical complications in the form of bleeding, visceral injury and bile duct leak were observed in 2 % of patients, which was treated intra-operatively. Satisfaction was observed in 99.3 % and desire to stay overnight in 87.4 % of patients. Factors like postoperative pain, PONV and surgical complications were well managed and were not associated with significant morbidity to justify routine overnight admission. However, majority of the patients desired to stay overnight, which could be improved by counseling and education.

Reliability and validity of a tool to assess airway management skills in anesthesia trainees.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Gaining expertise in procedural skills is essential for achieving clinical competence during anesthesia training. Supervisors have the important responsibility of deciding when the trainee can be allowed to perform various procedures without direct supervision while ensuring patient safety. This requires robust and reliable assessment techniques. Airway management with bag-mask ventilation and tracheal intubation are routinely performed by anesthesia trainees at induction of anesthesia and to save lives during a cardiorespiratory arrest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity, and inter-rater and test-retest reliability of a tool designed to assess competence in bag-mask ventilation followed by tracheal intubation in anesthesia trainees. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Tracheal intubation and bag-mask ventilation skills in 10 junior and 10 senior anesthesia trainees were assessed by two investigators on two occasions at a 3-4 weeks interval, using a procedure-specific assessment tool. RESULTS: Average kappa value for inter-rater reliability was 0.91 and 0.99 for the first and second assessments, respectively, with an average agreement of 95%. The average agreement for test-retest reliability was 82% with a kappa value of 0.39. Senior trainees obtained higher scores compared to junior trainees in all areas of assessment, with a significant difference for patient positioning, preoxygenation, and laryngoscopy technique, depicting good construct validity. CONCLUSION: The tool designed to assess bag-mask ventilation and tracheal intubation skills in anesthesia trainees demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability, fair test-retest reliability, and good construct validity. The authors recommend its use for formative and summative assessment of junior anesthesia trainees.

Assessment of patient satisfaction with acute pain management service: Monitoring quality of care in clinical setting.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Assessment of patient satisfaction is an important tool for monitoring the quality of care in hospitals. The aim of this survey was to develop a reliable tool to assess patient satisfaction with acute pain management service (APMS) and identify variables affecting this so that care can be improved. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and administered to patients after being discharged from APMS care by an unbiased person. Data collected from record included patient demographics, surgical procedure, analgesic modality, co-analgesics and dynamic and static pain scores. Questions included pain expected and pain experienced, APMS response time, quality of pain relief with treatment, professionalism of APMS team, overall experience of pain relief and choosing/suggesting same modality for themselves/family/friends again. Five-point Likert scale was used for most of the options. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 19. RESULTS: Frequency and percentages were computed for qualitative observation and presented on pie chart and histogram. Seventy-one per cent patients expected severe pain while 43% actually experienced it. About 79.4% would choose same analgesia modality in future for self/family/friends. Ninety-nine per cent found APMS staff courteous and professional. About 89% rated their experience of pain management as excellent to very good. CONCLUSION: The survey of patients' satisfaction to monitor the quality of care provided by APMS provided positive inputs on its role. This also helps to identify areas requiring improvement in care and as a tool to gauge the quality of care.