Surgical Patient Preoperative Readiness: Translation into French, Cultural Adaptation for Switzerland and Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study in a Tertiary Hospital.

PURPOSE: Preoperative evaluation of elective surgery patients traditionally focuses on somatic and organizational aspects of the situation. Patient feelings of readiness, called preoperative readiness (PR), impacts postoperative outcomes, and yet is rarely evaluated. The Preoperative Assessment Tool (PART) is a validated and reliable 15-item questionnaire available in Filipino and English. A reliable tool is essential for evaluating PR within the Swiss health context to offer optimized and comprehensive perioperative care. The aim of this study was to both translate into French and adapt culturally the Preoperative Assessment Tool for Switzerland's francophone population, and to explore patient PR in the preoperative consultation within a Swiss tertiary hospital. DESIGN: A mixed design with methodologic phases and descriptive study. METHODS: A mixed design in two phases with a methodologic phase with (1) translation and (2) cultural adaptation for Romandie of the PART, following Wild's 10 steps methodology (n = 11) and (3) a cross-sectional exploratory descriptive study with pilot testing of the translated version in a general elective preoperative consultation in a tertiary hospital in Romandie (N = 88). FINDINGS: Translation and cultural adaptations are well accepted and understood by the participants (n = 9/11), modifications are accepted by the authors and deemed adequate by the participants (n = 11/11). Time of completion is short (m = 69.06 seconds) and adapted to clinical context. The translated version has a Cronbach (α = 0.85) comparable to the original validated scale (α = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: The translation and cultural adaptation for Switzerland of the PART was achieved, and PR was explored. Further psychometric testing of the PART-FrenCH must be conducted to assess fully the tool before its use in a clinical setting. Including PR in preoperative evaluations could enhance patient-centered approaches and lead to improvement in the quality of care.

Cross-sectional and Correlational Examination of Patients' Preoperative Anxiety, Information Need, and Health Literacy in a Presurgical Consultation.

PURPOSE: This study elucidates the preoperative anxiety (PA), information need (IN), and health literacy (HL) levels of an elective preoperative sample in Switzerland and examines the possible associations between PA and the patients' characteristics. By knowing these patient dimensions, which can influence perioperative outcomes, one can tailor individualized nursing interventions to improve patients' surgical experience. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. METHODS: The sample consisted of 88 patients who underwent a preoperative consultation at a Swiss tertiary hosptial. Patients' PA and IN were assessed using the Anxiety Preoperative and Information Scale, and their HL was measured using the Functional, Communicative, and Critical Health Literacy Scale. Data on other patient characteristics were collected from the patients, physicians, and electronic patient records. Association tests, as well as univariate regressions, were performed on PA, IN, HL, and patient characteristics. FINDINGS: Among participants, 40.91%, 78.41%, and 59% reported having PA, IN, and low HL, respectively. Finally, PA was associated with IN, HL, solitary living, and the American Society of Anesthesiology score. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of patients scheduled for presurgical consultation were found to be anxious. They presented high IN and low HL. An examination of patients' PA-associated characteristics can help improve their surgical experience. More studies should examine PA-associated characteristics.

Wet adhesive hydrogels to correct malacic trachea (tracheomalacia) A proof of concept.

Tracheomalacia (TM) is a condition characterized by a weak tracheal cartilage and/or muscle, resulting in excessive collapse of the airway in the newborns. Current treatments including tracheal reconstruction, tracheoplasty, endo- and extra-luminal stents have limitations. To address these limitations, this work proposes a new strategy by wrapping an adhesive hydrogel patch around a malacic trachea. Through a numerical model, first it was demonstrated that a hydrogel patch with sufficient mechanical and adhesion strength can preserve the trachea's physiological shape. Accordingly, a new hydrogel providing robust adhesion on wet tracheal surfaces was synthesized employing the hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HEAam) and polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PEGDMA) as main polymer network and crosslinker, respectively. Ex vivo experiments revealed that the adhesive hydrogel patches can restrain the collapsing of malacic trachea under negative pressure. This study may open the possibility of using an adhesive hydrogel as a new approach in the difficult clinical situation of tracheomalacia.

Spontaneous Ventilation With High-Flow Nasal Oxygen for Elective Suspension Microlaryngoscopy.

Objective: Spontaneous ventilation under intravenous anesthesia allows the surgeon to work without interruption or obstruction of the operating field during suspension microlaryngoscopy (SML). High-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO) is increasingly used in anesthesia. We hypothesized that its use during SML would increase patient safety even in situations where the airway is compromised by tumor or stenosis. Study Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting: University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland. Methods: Adults patients who were scheduled for elective microlaryngeal surgery and managed with HFNO in spontaneous ventilation under general anesthesia between October 2020 and December 2021. Results: Twenty-seven patients for a total of 32 surgical procedures were performed under HFNO with spontaneous ventilation. Seventy-five percent of the patients had respiratory symptoms. Twelve patients (42.9%) were planned for the treatment of subglottic or tracheal stenosis and 5 patients were managed for vocal cord cancer (18.5%). Out of 32 surgeries, 4 cases of saturation < 92% occurred, 3 of them during the decrease of the fraction of inspired oxygen to 30% for the use of the laser. In 3 cases, the patients were intubated to correct the hypoxemia. Conclusion: Spontaneous respiration using intravenous anesthesia and high-flow nasal oxygen is a modern technique that increases patient safety while allowing the surgeon to work without interruption or imputation of the operative field during SML. This approach is particularly promising for the management of airways compromised by tumors or laryngotracheal stenosis.

Extraluminal biodegradable splint to treat upper airway anterior malacia: A preclinical proof of principle.

OBJECTIVE: Upper airway malacia highly complicates the treatment of benign laryngotracheal stenosis, and no ideal option is available to date. We here explore the use of extraluminal biodegradable splints in an animal model of long-segment anterior tracheomalacia (TM). We show the efficacy, as well as the tissue tolerance, of a custom-made biodegradable extraluminal device surgically inserted around the trachea. STUDY DESIGN: Preclinical animal study. METHODS: Anterior TM was induced in rabbits through an anterior neck approach by removing eight consecutive anterior tracheal rings without damaging the underlying mucosa. Malacia was corrected during the same surgery by pexy sutures, suspending the tracheal mucosa to an experimental biodegradable device. Symptoms, survival, and tissue reaction were compared to healthy and sham surgery controls. RESULTS: The model induced death by respiratory failure within minutes. Ten animals received the experimental treatment, and those who survived the perioperative period remained asymptomatic with a maximum follow-up of 221 days. Histological studies at programmed euthanasia showed complete degradation of the prosthesis, with significant remnant fibrosis around the trachea. However, the tracheal stiffness of test segments was comparatively less than that of control segments. CONCLUSION: Extraluminal biodegradable splints rescued animals with a condition otherwise incompatible with life. It was well tolerated, leaving peritracheal fibrosis that was not as stiff as normal trachea. The external tracheal stiffening was sufficient for the test animals to live through the phase of severe acute hypercollapsibility. This represents a valid option to help pediatric patients with laryngotracheal stenosis and associated cartilaginous airway malacia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA. Laryngoscope, 128:E53-E58, 2018.

First Reported Successful Femoral Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Using the Edwards Sapien 3 Valve.

OBJECTIVES: Management of degenerated aortic valve bioprosthesis classically requires redo surgery, but transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implantation is becoming a valid alternative in selected cases. In the case of a degenerated Mitroflow bioprosthesis, TAVR is associated with an additional challenge due to a specific risk of coronary occlusion. We aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of transfemoral valve-in-valve implantation of the new Edwards Sapien 3 (Edwards Lifesciences) in a degenerated Mitroflow bioprosthesis (Sorin Group, Inc). METHODS: We report here the safety and feasibility of transfemoral valve-in-valve implantation of a 23 mm Edwards Sapien 3 in a degenerated 25 mm Mitroflow valve and describe the specific assessment of the risk of coronary obstruction using a multi-imaging modality. RESULTS: The final result showed an absence of aortic regurgitation and a mean transvalvular gradient of 14 mm Hg. The patient had no major adverse cardiovascular events at 30-day follow-up. CONCLUSION: Transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation of an Edwards Sapien 3 in a degenerated Mitroflow is feasible and safe, considering a careful assessment of the risk of coronary obstruction with Mitroflow bioprosthesis due to leaflets mounted externally to the stent.

Gene expression profiles characterize inflammation stages in the acute lung injury in mice.

Acute Lung Injury (ALI) carries about 50 percent mortality and is frequently associated with an infection (sepsis). Life-support treatment with mechanical ventilation rescues many patients, although superimposed infection or multiple organ failure can result in death. The outcome of a patient developing sepsis depends on two factors: the infection and the pre-existing inflammation. In this study, we described each stage of the inflammation process using a transcriptional approach and an animal model. Female C57BL6/J mice received an intravenous oleic acid injection to induce an acute lung injury (ALI). Lung expression patterns were analyzed using a 9900 cDNA mouse microarray (MUSV29K). Our gene-expression analysis revealed marked changes in the immune and inflammatory response metabolic pathways, notably lipid metabolism and transcription. The early stage (1 hour-1.5 hours) is characterized by a pro-inflammatory immune response. Later (3 hours-4 hours), the immune cells migrate into inflamed tissues through interaction with vascular endothelial cells. Finally, at late stages of lung inflammation (18 hours-24 hours), metabolism is deeply disturbed. Highly expressed pro-inflammatory cytokines activate transcription of many genes and lipid metabolism. In this study, we described a global overview of critical events occurring during lung inflammation which is essential to understand infectious pathologies such as sepsis where inflammation and infection are intertwined. Based on these data, it becomes possible to isolate the impact of a pathogen at the transcriptional level from the global gene expression modifications resulting from the infection associated with the inflammation.