MEasuring the impact of Anesthetist-administered medications volumeS on intraoperative flUid balance duRing prolonged abdominal surgEry (MEASURE Study).

BACKGROUND: The contribution of intraoperative anesthetist-administered medications (IAAMs) to the total volume of intraoperative intravenous (IV) fluid therapy and their association with postoperative outcomes has never been formally investigated. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of adult patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. The volume of IAAMs, crystalloids and colloids, blood and blood products, blood loss, urine output and intraoperative fluid balance were collected. The contribution of IAAMs to the total intraoperative IV fluid volume and postoperative complications was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 152 consecutive patients were included. The median volume of IAAMs was 363.8 mL (interquartile range [IQR], (241.0-492.5) delivered at a median rate of 0.61 mL kg hr-1 (0.40-0.87) over a median duration of surgery of 489 minutes (416.3-605.3). This increased the total administered fluid volume by 5.2% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 4.6, 5.9%) (Cohen's d=1.33, P<0.001). The volume of IAAMs was comparable to the intraoperative colloid volume administered (median colloid volume, 400 mL). Overall, fluid volumes correlated significantly with the severity of complications (P=0.011), and the correlation strength increased when the IAAMs volume was included (P=0.005). On addition of IAAMs, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for prediction of postoperative complications increased from 0.580 (95%CI: 0.458, 0.701) to 0.603 (95%CI: 0.483, 0.723), P=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: IAAMs significantly increased the total administered fluid volume during pancreaticoduodenectomy. Their inclusion increases the accuracy of postoperative complications predictions. These findings support their inclusion in fluid volumes and balances in future interventional studies.

Agreement in hemodynamic monitoring during orthotopic liver transplantation: a comparison of FloTrac/Vigileo at two monitoring sites with pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution.

To study agreement in cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance index (Systemic VRI) and stroke volume variation (SV variation) between the FloTrac/Vigileo at radial and femoral arterial cannulation sites, and pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) thermodilution, in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation. A prospective observational study of 25 adult patients with liver failure. Radial and femoral arteries were cannulated with standardised FloTrac/Vigileo arterial transducer kits and a PAC was inserted. CI, SV variation and Systemic VRI were measured four times (30 min after induction of anesthesia, 30 min after portal vein clamping, 30 min after graft reperfusion, 30 min after commencement of bile duct anastomosis). The bias, precision, limits of agreement (LOA) and percentage errors were calculated using Bland-Altman statistics to compare measurements from radial and femoral arterial cannulation sites and PAC thermodilution. Neither radial nor femoral CI achieved acceptable agreement with PAC CI [radial to PAC bias (SD) 1.17 (1.49) L/min/m2, percentage error 64.40 %], [femoral to PAC bias (SD) -0.71 (1.81) L/min/m2, percentage error 74.20 %]. Agreement between radial and femoral sites for CI [mean difference (SD) -0.43 (1.51) L/min/m2, percentage error 70.40 %] and Systemic VRI [mean difference (SD) 0.03 (4.17) LOA ±8.17 mmHg min m2/L] were also unacceptable. Agreement in SV variation between radial and femoral measurement sites approached a clinically acceptable threshold [mean difference (SD) 0.68 (2.44) %), LOA ±4.78 %]. FloTrac/Vigileo CI cannot substitute for PAC thermodilution CI, regardless of measurement site. SV variation measurements may be interchangeable between radial and femoral sites for determining fluid responsiveness.

Agreement between radial and femoral arterial blood pressure measurements during orthotopic liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: To study agreement between radial and femoral arterial pressure measurements in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) surgery to determine whether arterial cannulation sites are interchangeable. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective observational study of 25 patients undergoing OLTx surgery. METHODS: Radial and femoral arteries were cannulated with standardised arterial line kits. Radial and femoral mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) and pulse pressure (PP) were measured at four time points (30 minutes after induction of anaesthesia, 30 minutes after the start of the anhepatic phase, 30 minutes after liver graft reperfusion and 30 minutes after the start of bile duct anastomosis). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The bias, precision and limits of agreement between radial and femoral arterial pressures were calculated in accordance with Bland-Altman statistics. RESULTS: Radial-femoral differences in MAP (mean difference, 4.8 mmHg [SD, 4.5 mmHg]), limits of agreement (- 13.6 and 8.8, P < 0.001) and DAP showed clinically acceptable agreement between measurement sites across all time points. However, clinically significant differences between radial and femoral SAPs (mean difference, - 14.9 mmHg [SD, 24.8 mmHg]) and limits of agreement (- 63.5 and 33.7, P < 0.001) occurred overall. This difference started after portal vein clamping and remained significant throughout the remainder of the operation. CONCLUSION: Radial artery SAP underestimates femoral artery measurements significantly but unpredictably. As femoral measurement is more likely to reflect central arterial pressure, radial SAP measurement is not reliable in adults undergoing OLTx.