More Than a Perioperative Surgical Home: An Opportunity for Anesthesiologists to Advance Public Health.

Public health and the medical specialty of anesthesiology have been closely intertwined throughout history, dating back to the 1800s when Dr. John Snow used contact tracing methods to identify the Broad Street Pump as the source of a cholera outbreak in London. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in anesthesiology and anesthesia patient safety came forward to develop swift recommendations in the face of rapidly changing evidence to help protect patients and healthcare workers. While these high-profile examples may seem like uncommon events, there are many common modern-day public health issues that regularly intersect with anesthesiology and surgery. These include, but are not limited to, smoking; chronic opioid use and opioid use disorder; and obstructive sleep apnea. As an evolving medical specialty that encompasses pre- and postoperative care and acute and chronic pain management, anesthesiologists are uniquely positioned to improve patient care and outcomes and promote long-lasting behavioral changes to improve overall health. In this article, we make the case for advancing the role of the anesthesiologist beyond the original perioperative surgical home model into promoting public health initiatives within the perioperative period.

Five-year follow-up to assess long-term sustainability of changing clinical practice regarding anesthesia and regional analgesia for lower extremity arthroplasty.

Background: Long-term and sustainable clinical practice changes in anesthesia procedures have not previously been reported. Therefore, we performed a 5-year audit following implementation of a clinical pathway change favoring spinal anesthesia for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We similarly evaluated a parallel cohort of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), who did not undergo a clinical pathway change, and studied utilization rates of continuous peripheral nerve block (CPNB). METHODS: We identified all primary unilateral TKA and THA cases completed from January 2013 through December 2018, thereby including clinical pathway change data from one-year pre-implementation to 5-years post-implementation. Our primary outcome was the overall application rate of spinal anesthesia. Secondary outcomes included CPNB utilization rate, 30-day postoperative complications, and resource utilization variables such as hospital readmission, emergency department visits, and blood transfusions. RESULTS: The sample included 1,859 cases, consisting of 1,250 TKAs and 609 THAs. During the initial year post-implementation, 174/221 (78.7%) TKAs received spinal anesthesia compared to 23/186 (12.4%) cases the year before implementation (P < 0.001). During the following 4-year period, 647/843 (77.2%) TKAs received spinal anesthesia (P = 0.532 vs. year 1). The number of THA cases receiving spinal anesthesia the year after implementation was 78/124 (62.9%), compared to 48/116 (41.4%) pre-implementation (P = 0.001); however, the rate decreased over the following 4-year period to 193/369 (52.3%) (P = 0.040 vs. year 1). CPNB use was high in both groups, and there were no differences in 30-day postoperative complications, hospital readmission, emergency department visits, or blood transfusions. CONCLUSIONS: A clinical pathway change promoting spinal anesthesia for TKA can be effectively implemented and sustained over a 5-year period.

Peripheral nerve blocks are not associated with increased risk of perioperative peripheral nerve injury in a Veterans Affairs inpatient surgical population.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Perioperative peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a known complication in patients undergoing surgery with or without regional anesthesia. The incidence of new PNI in a Veterans Affairs (VA) inpatient surgical population has not been previously described; therefore, the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of new PNI in this cohort are unknown. We hypothesized that peripheral nerve blocks do not increase PNI incidence. METHODS: We conducted a 5-year review of a Perioperative Surgical Home database including all consecutive surgical inpatients. The primary outcome was new PNI between groups that did or did not have peripheral nerve blockade. Potential confounders were first examined individually using logistic regression, and then included simultaneously together within a mixed-effects logistic regression model. Electronic records of patients with new PNI were reviewed for up to a year postoperatively. RESULTS: The incidence of new PNI was 1.2% (114/9558 cases); 30 of 3380 patients with nerve block experienced new PNI (0.9%) compared with 84 of 6178 non-block patients (1.4%; p=0.053). General anesthesia alone, younger age, and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status <3 were associated with higher incidence of new PNI. Patients who received transversus abdominis plane blocks had increased odds for PNI (OR, 3.20, 95% CI 1.34 to 7.63), but these cases correlated with minimally invasive general and urologic surgery. One hundred PNI cases had 1-year follow-up: 82% resolved by 3 months and only one patient did not recover in a year. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of new perioperative PNI for VA surgical inpatients is 1.2% and the use of peripheral nerve blocks is not an independent risk factor.

Perioperative Surgical Home Reduces Rapid Response Calls to a Postoperative Surgical Ward: How Anesthesiologists Are Improving the Inpatient Safety Net.

BACKGROUND: The Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) is an anesthesiologist-led, coordinated care model that may improve patient experience and safety. We hypothesized that PSH will decrease activation of the rapid response system for surgical inpatients. METHODS: This retrospective study was performed at an academic Veterans Affairs hospital with a PSH. Data from both medical and surgical cohorts admitted to a single ward were analyzed for the Pre-PSH (July 2006 to October 2010) and Post-PSH (November 2011 to May 2015) epochs. The primary outcome was incidence of rapid response team (RRT) activations per 1000 bed-days. RESULTS: Surgical patients had 5.8 RRT activations per 1000 bed-days Pre-PSH versus 3.7/1000 bed-days Post-PSH ( P = .006). There was no difference in RRT activations per 1000 bed-days for medical patients before and after PSH implementation. Pre-PSH was an independent predictor of mortality in the multivariable model (odds ratio = 1.7; P = .010). CONCLUSION: PSH is associated with decreased RRT activations among surgical inpatients only.

A matched case-control comparison of hospital costs and outcomes for knee replacement patients admitted postoperatively to acute care versus rehabilitation.

For select total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients, we have established an alternative pathway to bypass the acute care surgical ward and directly admit patients from the post-anesthesia care unit to on-campus rehabilitation. We retrospectively examined whether this 'fast track' pathway decreased costs and improved patient outcomes. After reviewing records of consecutive primary unilateral TKA patients over a 15-month period, each patient admitted to rehabilitation was matched with a control admitted to the acute care ward. The primary outcome was estimated total hospitalization cost (length of stay in days multiplied by the average cost per day). Secondary outcomes were length of stay, in-hospital pain scores, opioid use, maximum ambulatory distance and 30-day readmission, morbidity, and mortality. Of the 262 TKA patients during the study period, 14 were admitted to rehabilitation and were matched to 14 patients admitted to acute care. Estimated total hospitalization cost [median (10th-90th percentiles)] was US$30,755 (US$23,066-38,444) for ward patients compared to US$17,620 (US$13,215-33,918) for rehabilitation patients (P = 0.006). This difference [mean (95% CI)] was US$10,143 (US$2174-18,112). There were no other differences. For facilities similar to ours, direct postoperative admission of select TKA patients to subacute rehabilitation may be less costly than acute care and may not negatively affect outcomes.

Adherence to a Multimodal Analgesic Clinical Pathway: A Within-Group Comparison of Staged Bilateral Knee Arthroplasty Patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Multimodal analgesic clinical pathways for joint replacement patients often include perineural catheters, but long-term adherence to these pathways has not yet been investigated. Our primary aim was to determine adherence rate to a knee arthroplasty clinical pathway for patients undergoing staged bilateral procedures. METHODS: This study was performed at a hospital with a Perioperative Surgical Home program and knee arthroplasty clinical pathway using multimodal analgesia and adductor canal catheters. Data were examined for all orthopedic surgery patients over a 4-year period. We included patients who had staged bilateral knee arthroplasty electively scheduled on 2 separate dates. The primary outcome was rate of adductor canal catheter utilization as a measure of adherence to the clinical pathway. Other outcomes included rates of neuraxial anesthesia and minor and major perioperative complications. RESULTS: We analyzed data for 103 unique patients. The interval between surgeries was a median of 261 days (10th-90th percentile, 138-534 days). All 103 patients had adductor canal catheters for both the first and second surgeries (P > 0.999). Forty-one percent of patients had the same surgeon for both surgeries, but only 2% had the same anesthesiologist (P < 0.001). From the first to the second surgery, utilization of neuraxial anesthesia increased from 51% to 68%, respectively (P = 0.005). There were no differences in minor or major complications. CONCLUSIONS: For staged bilateral knee arthroplasty patients, 100% clinical pathway adherence including perineural catheters and multimodal analgesia is feasible despite multiple variables. We believe that patient-centered acute pain management requires consistent and reliable delivery of care.

The Perioperative Surgical Home model facilitates change implementation in anesthetic technique within a clinical pathway for total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The challenge of knowledge translation in medical settings is well known, and implementing change in clinical practice can take years. For the increasing number total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients annually, there is ample evidence to endorse neuraxial anesthesia over general anesthesia. The rate of adoption of this practice, however, is slow at the current time. We hypothesized that a Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model facilitates rapid change implementation in anesthesia. METHODS: The PSH clinical pathways workgroup at a tertiary care Veterans Affairs hospital embarked on a 5-month process of changing the preferred anesthetic technique for patients undergoing TKA. This process involved multiple sequential steps: literature review; development of a work document; training of staff; and prospective collection of data. To assess the impact of this change, we examined data 6 months before (PRE, n=90) and after (POST) change implementation (n=128), and our primary outcome was the overall proportion of spinal anesthesia usage for each 6 month period. Secondary outcomes included minor and major complications associated with anesthetic technique. RESULTS: Over a period of one year, there was an increase in the proportion of patients who received spinal anesthesia (13% vs. 63%, p<0.001). For the following year, 53-92% of TKA patients per month received spinal anesthesia. There were no differences in major complications. CONCLUSION: Rapid and sustained change implementation in clinical anesthesia practice based on emerging evidence is feasible. IMPLICATIONS: Perioperative Surgical Home model may facilitate rapid change implementation in surgical care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Cohort study, Level 2.

Use of a home positive airway pressure device during intraoperative monitored anesthesia care for outpatient surgery.

Perioperative positive airway pressure (PAP) is recommended by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for patients with obstructive sleep apnea, but a readily available and personalized intraoperative delivery system does not exist. We present the successful use of a patient's own nasal PAP machine in the operating room during outpatient foot surgery which required addition of a straight adaptor for oxygen delivery and careful positioning of the gas sampling line to permit end-tidal carbox dioxide monitoring. Home PAP machines may provide a potential alternative to more invasive methods of airway management for patients with obstructive sleep apnea under moderate sedation.

Design and Implementation of a Perioperative Surgical Home at a Veterans Affairs Hospital.

The innovative Perioperative Surgical Home model aims to optimize the outcomes of surgical patients by leveraging the expertise and leadership of physician anesthesiologists, but there is a paucity of practical examples to follow. Veterans Affairs health care, the largest integrated system in the United States, may be the ideal environment in which to explore this model. We present our experience implementing Perioperative Surgical Home at one tertiary care university-affiliated Veterans Affairs hospital. This process involved initiating consistent postoperative patient follow-up beyond the postanesthesia care unit, a focus on improving in-hospital acute pain management, creation of an accessible database to track outcomes, developing new clinical pathways, and recruiting additional staff. Today, our Perioperative Surgical Home facilitates communication between various services involved in the care of surgical patients, monitoring of patient outcomes, and continuous process improvement.

Comparative effectiveness of infraclavicular and supraclavicular perineural catheters for ultrasound-guided through-the-catheter bolus anesthesia.

OBJECTIVES: Using a through-the-needle local anesthetic bolus technique, ultrasound-guided infraclavicular perineural catheters have been shown to provide greater analgesia compared to supraclavicular catheters. A through-the-catheter bolus technique, which arguably "tests" the anesthetic efficacy of the catheter before initiating an infusion, has been validated for infraclavicular catheters but not supraclavicular catheters. This study investigated the through-the-catheter bolus technique for supraclavicular catheters and tested the hypothesis that infraclavicular catheters provide faster onset of brachial plexus anesthesia. METHODS: Preoperatively, patients were randomly assigned to receive either a supraclavicular or an infraclavicular catheter using an ultrasound-guided nonstimulating catheter insertion technique with a mepivacaine bolus via the catheter and ropivacaine perineural infusion initiated postoperatively. The primary outcome was time to achieve complete sensory anesthesia in the ulnar and median nerve distributions. Secondary outcomes included procedural time, procedure-related pain and complications, and postoperative pain, opioid consumption, sleep disturbances, and motor weakness. RESULTS: Fifty patients were enrolled in the study; all but 2 perineural catheters were successfully placed per protocol. Twenty-one of 24 (88%) and 24 of 24 (100%) patients in the supraclavicular and infraclavicular groups, respectively, achieved complete sensory anesthesia by 30 minutes (P= .088). There was no difference in the time to achieve complete sensory anesthesia. Supraclavicular patients reported more sleep disturbances postoperatively, but there were no statistically significant differences in other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Both supraclavicular and infraclavicular perineural catheters using a through-the-catheter bolus technique provide effective brachial plexus anesthesia.

A randomized comparison of proximal and distal ultrasound-guided adductor canal catheter insertion sites for knee arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVES: Proximal and distal (mid-thigh) ultrasound-guided continuous adductor canal block techniques have been described but not yet compared, and infusion benefits or side effects may be determined by catheter location. We hypothesized that proximal placement will result in faster onset of saphenous nerve anesthesia, without additional motor block, compared to a distal technique. METHODS: Preoperatively, patients receiving an ultrasound-guided nonstimulating adductor canal catheter for knee arthroplasty were randomly assigned to either proximal or distal insertion. A local anesthetic bolus was administered via the catheter after successful placement. The primary outcome was the time to achieve complete sensory anesthesia in the saphenous nerve distribution. Secondary outcomes included procedural time, procedure-related pain and complications, postoperative pain, opioid consumption, and motor weakness. RESULTS: Proximal insertion (n = 23) took a median (10th-90th percentiles) of 12.0 (3.0-21.0) minutes versus 6.0 (3.0-21.0) minutes for distal insertion (n = 21; P= .106) to anesthetize the medial calf. Only 10 of 25 (40%) and 10 of 24 (42%) patients in the proximal and distal groups, respectively, developed anesthesia at both the medial calf and top of the patella (P= .978). Bolus-induced motor weakness occurred in 19 of 25 (76%) and 16 of 24 (67%) patients in the proximal and distal groups (P = .529). Ten of 24 patients (42%) in the distal group required intravenous morphine postoperatively, compared to 2 of 24 (8%) in the proximal group (P = .008), but there were no differences in other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous adductor canal blocks can be performed reliably at both proximal and distal locations. The proximal approach may offer minor analgesic and logistic advantages without an increase in motor block.

A randomized comparison of long-axis and short-axis imaging for in-plane ultrasound-guided popliteal-sciatic perineural catheter insertion.

PURPOSE: Ultrasound-guided long-axis in-plane sciatic perineural catheter insertion has been described but not validated. For the popliteal-sciatic nerve, we hypothesized that a long-axis in-plane technique, placing the catheter parallel and posterior to the nerve, results in faster onset of sensory anesthesia compared to a short-axis in-plane technique. METHODS: Preoperatively, patients receiving a popliteal-sciatic perineural catheter were randomly assigned to either the long-axis or short-axis technique. Mepivacaine 2% was administered via the catheter following insertion. The primary outcome was time to achieve complete sensory anesthesia. Secondary outcomes included procedural time, onset time of motor block, and pain on postoperative day 1. RESULTS: Fifty patients were enrolled. In the long-axis group (n = 25), all patients except 1 (4%) had successful catheter placement per protocol. Two patients (8%) in the long-axis group and 1 patient (4%) in the short-axis group (n = 25) did not achieve sensory anesthesia by 30 min and were withdrawn. Seventeen of 24 (71%) and 17 of 22 (77%) patients in the short-axis and long-axis groups, respectively, achieved the primary outcome of complete sensory anesthesia (p = 0.589). The short-axis group (n = 17) required a median (10th-90th ‰) of 18.0 (8.4-30.0) min compared to 18.0 (11.4-27.6) min for the long-axis group (n = 17, p = 0.208) to achieve complete sensory anesthesia. Procedural time was 6.5 (4.0-12.0) min for the short-axis and 9.5 (7.0-12.7) min for the long-axis (p < 0.001) group. There were no statistically significant differences in other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Long-axis in-plane popliteal-sciatic perineural catheter insertion requires more time to perform compared to a short-axis in-plane technique without demonstrating any advantages.

A randomized comparison of long-and short-axis imaging for in-plane ultrasound-guided femoral perineural catheter insertion.

OBJECTIVES: Continuous femoral nerve blocks provide effective analgesia after knee arthroplasty, and infusion effects depend on reliable catheter location. Ultrasound-guided perineural catheter insertion using a short-axis in-plane technique has been validated, but the optimal catheter location relative to target nerve and placement orientation remain unknown. We hypothesized that a long-axis in-plane technique for femoral perineural catheter insertion results in faster onset of sensory anesthesia compared to a short-axis in-plane technique. METHODS: Preoperatively, patients receiving an ultrasound-guided nonstimulating femoral perineural catheter for knee surgery were randomly assigned to either the long-axis in-plane or short-axis in-plane technique. A local anesthetic was administered via the catheter after successful insertion. The primary outcome was the time to achieve complete sensory anesthesia. Secondary outcomes included the procedural time, the onset time of the motor block, pain and muscle weakness reported on postoperative day 1, and procedure-related complications. RESULTS: The short-axis group (n = 23) took a median (10th-90th percentiles) of 9.0 (6.0-20.4) minutes compared to 6.0 (3.0-14.4) minutes for the long-axis group (n = 23; P = .044) to achieve complete sensory anesthesia. Short-axis procedures took 5.0 (4.0-7.8) minutes to perform compared to 9.0 (7.0-14.8) minutes for long-axis procedures (P < .001). In the short-axis group, 19 of 23 (83%) achieved a complete motor block within the testing period compared to 18 of 23 (78%) in the long-axis group (P = .813); short-axis procedures took 12.0 (6.0-15.0) minutes versus 15.0 (5.1-27.9) minutes for long-axis procedures (P = .048). There were no statistically significant differences in other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Long-axis in-plane femoral perineural catheters result in a slightly faster onset of sensory anesthesia, but placement takes longer to perform without other clinical advantages.