Use of the McGRATH™ MAC videolaryngoscope to evaluate the ability of anesthetists to give effective cricoid pressure: An interventional study.

Background and Aims: The application of cricoid pressure (CP) for rapid sequence induction is questioned on two grounds: its effectiveness in clinical settings and its impact on the laryngeal view. The main reason cited for its ineffectiveness is the lack of knowledge and training in its correct application. This study assessed, the performance of anesthetists in applying effective CP in a clinical setting. Material and Methods: Eighty-five ASA I/II adult patients posted for elective surgery requiring oral endotracheal intubation with nasogastric tube (NGT) placement participated in the study. Eighty-five anesthetists divided into five groups based on their level of experience were randomly chosen to apply CP after induction of anesthesia. An experienced anesthetist performed videolaryngoscopy and attempted NGT insertion. The primary outcome was effectiveness of CP defined as the inability to pass the NGT into the esophageal opening. We also noted that the glottic view with and without CP and the effectiveness of CP across different levels of experience of anesthetists. Results: Of the 85 anesthetists, 61 (71.8%) applied effective CP. The effectiveness improved with experience (first-year residents-11/17 [64.7%], second-year residents-11/17 [64.7%], third-year residents-10/17 [58.8%], senior residents-13/17 [76.5%], and consultants-16/17 [94.1%]) (P = 0.157). Post hoc analysis showed higher effectiveness among anesthetists with >3 years of experience (85.3%) compared with <3 years of experience (62.7%) (P = 0.024). CP did not always impede the laryngeal view, rather it has no effect or actually improves the glottic view in many instances (81%). Conclusion: CP is effective in occluding the esophageal lumen without hampering glottic view in the majority of the cases, and its effectiveness improves with experience.

Perioperative provider safety in the pandemic: Development, implementation and evaluation of an adjunct COVID-19 Surgical Patient Checklist.

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained surgical systems worldwide and placed healthcare providers at risk in their workplace. To protect surgical care providers caring for patients with COVID-19, in May 2020 we developed a COVID-19 Surgical Patient Checklist (C19 SPC), including online training materials, to accompany the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist. In October 2020, an online survey was conducted via partner and social media networks to understand perioperative clinicians' intraoperative practice and perceptions of safety while caring for COVID-19 positive patients and gain feedback on the utility of C19 SPC. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise responses by World Bank income classification. Qualitative analysis was performed to describe respondents' perceptions of C19 SPC and recommended modifications. Respondents included 539 perioperative clinicians from 63 countries. One-third of respondents reported feeling unsafe in their workplace due to COVID-19 with significantly higher proportions in low (39.8%) and lower-middle (33.9%) than higher income countries (15.6%). The most cited concern was the risk of COVID-19 transmission to self, colleagues and family. A large proportion of respondents (65.3%) reported that they had not used C19 SPC, yet 83.8% of these respondents felt it would be useful. Of those who reported that they had used C19 SPC, 62.0% stated feeling safer in the workplace because of its use. Based on survey results, modifications were incorporated into a subsequent version. Our survey findings suggest that perioperative clinicians report feeling unsafe at work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, adjunct tools such as the C19 SPC can help to improve perceived safety.

Artificial intelligence in perioperative management of major gastrointestinal surgeries.

Artificial intelligence (AI) demonstrated by machines is based on reinforcement learning and revolves around the usage of algorithms. The purpose of this review was to summarize concepts, the scope, applications, and limitations in major gastrointestinal surgery. This is a narrative review of the available literature on the key capabilities of AI to help anesthesiologists, surgeons, and other physicians to understand and critically evaluate ongoing and new AI applications in perioperative management. AI uses available databases called "big data" to formulate an algorithm. Analysis of other data based on these algorithms can help in early diagnosis, accurate risk assessment, intraoperative management, automated drug delivery, predicting anesthesia and surgical complications and postoperative outcomes and can thus lead to effective perioperative management as well as to reduce the cost of treatment. Perioperative physicians, anesthesiologists, and surgeons are well-positioned to help integrate AI into modern surgical practice. We all need to partner and collaborate with data scientists to collect and analyze data across all phases of perioperative care to provide clinical scenarios and context. Careful implementation and use of AI along with real-time human interpretation will revolutionize perioperative care, and is the way forward in future perioperative management of major surgery.

Cancer related nutritional and inflammatory markers as predictive parameters of immediate postoperative complications and long-term survival after hepatectomies.

BACKGROUND: The overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and complications after liver resections is unsatisfactory. Cancer-related malnutrition and inflammation have an effect on survival but not studied/not clear on postoperative complications. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed prospectively maintained database of 309 patients. The outcome variables included complications in terms of Clavien-Dindo (CD) Score, OS and DFS; We studied effect of preoperative albumin globulin ratio (AGR), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and dynamic change from pre-operative to postoperative value (Delta-AGR, Delta-NLR, Delta-PLR and Delta-APRI) on complications, OS and DFS. RESULTS: Total 98 patients (31.71%) had postoperative complications. Fifty patients had CD 1 & 2 and 35 (11.33%) had CD 3 & 4, and 13 (4.12%) had mortality (CD 5). Low AGR, high NLR, high PLR and high Delta-AGR and high Delta-APRI predicted increased major complications. Preoperative high NLR predicted worse OS and low AGR predicted worse OS and DFS. Delta-APRI showed trends towards worse OS and DFS. CONCLUSION: These serum inflammatory markers can predict immediate postoperative complications. Preoperative AGR and preoperative NLR can predict survival after liver resections. High Delta-AGR, which is a new entity, is predicting more postoperative complications and needs further detailed studies.

Society of Onco-Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care consensus guidelines for perioperative management of patients for cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC).

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) for primary peritoneal malignancies or peritoneal spread of malignant neoplasm is being done at many centres worldwide. Perioperative management is challenging with varied haemodynamic and temperature instabilities, and the literature is scarce in many aspects of its perioperative management. There is a need to have coalition of the existing evidence and experts' consensus opinion for better perioperative management. The purpose of this consensus practice guideline is to provide consensus for best practice pattern based on the best available evidence by the expert committee of the Society of Onco-Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care comprising perioperative physicians for better perioperative management of patients of CRS-HIPEC.

Preoperative "R wave amplitude variation" on electrocardiogram predicts severe hypovolemia.

Preoperative fasting is essential to prevent aspiration and associated complications. However, quite often patients end up fasting for 12 h or more due to changes in the operating room schedules, delays, and postponements. Preoperative fasting may lead to a fluid deficit, which may contribute to perioperative discomfort and morbidity. We report a case of 44-year-old female posted for total mastectomy with axillary clearance for carcinoma breast, with prolonged fasting where preoperative R wave amplitude variation along with associated changes in the plethysmograph was noticed on the monitor. 500 milliliters of lactated ringer solution was administered before induction of anesthesia, by the time R wave amplitude variation decreased. Variations in plethysmography became normal after 1 L of fluid administration after induction of anesthesia. Gross R wave amplitude variation is not a very common finding and may predict severe hypovolemia in preoperative area in prolonged fasting patients.

Awareness during general anesthesia: An Indian viewpoint.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The incidence of intra-operative awareness with explicit recall in the Western world has been reported to be between 0.1% and 0.2% in the general surgical population and up to 1-2% of patients at high risk for this complication. Awareness in the Indian population has never been studied; we therefore wanted to detect the incidence of awareness in patients who were at high risk of experiencing awareness during surgery in our population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective single-center observational study at a 600-bedded tertiary cancer care referral hospital. We recruited adult patients posted for major cancer surgery who were considered to be at high risk for awareness. These patients were interviewed at three time-points using the structured modified Brice interview questionnaire. The primary outcome studied was the incidence of definite intra-operative awareness. RESULTS: A total of 934 patients were included in the final analysis of which none reported awareness. Using the rule of three (Hanley and Lippman-Hand) we conclude that the upper 95% confidence interval for the incidence of awareness in this population is <1 in 300 (0.33%). CONCLUSION: Awareness under anesthesia is a distressing complication with a potential for long-term psychological consequences, and every effort should be undertaken to prevent it. It is reassuring though that our data in Indian cancer patients at high risk for intra-operative awareness suggests that it is an uncommon occurrence.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: A diagnostic challenge.

We report the case of a 7-year-old girl operated for craniopharyngioma who developed hyperkalemic cardiac arrest in the post-operative period. She was diagnosed as Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) and the causative drug was carbamazepine. It was essentially a diagnosis of exclusion, and treatment was mainly supportive in form of withdrawal of the neuroleptic medication (carbamazepine) and administration of dantrolene and bromocriptine. Although, relatively uncommon, NMS can be fatal. NMS presents a clinical challenge as the patient outcome depends on its prompt recognition and treatment.

Innovative use of the fiberoptic bronchoscope.

Tracheostomy can be challenging, especially in the presence of edema or infiltrative malignancy. We present a case in which a fiberoptic bronchoscope that is routinely used for difficult intubation helped to locate the trachea in an emergency situation. A 50 year-old male, a diagnosed case of anaplastic carcinoma of thyroid, presented with respiratory distress and was immediately taken to the operating theater for an emergency tracheostomy. Following an inhalational induction, the patient was intubated with an endotracheal tube. Surgical tracheostomy was extremely difficult as, on neck exploration, there was a plaque of disease infiltrating various tissue planes. When even after considerable dissection the trachea could not be located, we passed a fiberoptic bronchoscope through the endotracheal tube. This helped as it was seen as a trans- illumination and the tracheal position could be confirmed. The rest of the tracheostomy was uneventful.