Effects of Nonpharmacologic Distraction Methods on Children's Postoperative Pain-A Nonmatched Case-Control Study.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether nonpharmacologic distraction as a supplement to conventional pain management can reduce children's assessment of pain in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), and if parental assessment is a reliable proxy in assessing children's postoperative pain. DESIGN: A nonmatched case-control study. METHODS: The sample included 241 children aged 2 to 7 years assigned to one of five intervention groups or a control group. Children's and parents' assessments of pain were registered on arrival to PACU and repeated after 15, 30, and 45 minutes using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. FINDINGS: Positive effects of interventions were found in both children's and parental assessments. Results indicate a positive correlation between children's and parental assessments in children older than 3 years (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Nonpharmacologic distraction is recommended as a supplement to conventional postoperative pain management. Parental assessment is a reliable proxy in assessing postoperative pain in children younger than 5 years.

Efficacy of Prewarming With a Self-Warming Blanket for the Prevention of Unintended Perioperative Hypothermia in Patients Undergoing Hip or Knee Arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: Unintended perioperative hypothermia (UPH) is a common and serious complication for patients undergoing anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence of UPH and evaluate the efficacy of a self-warming blanket on the drop in core temperature and risk of UPH in patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty. DESIGN: A case-control study was used. METHODS: Sixty patients were included. Thirty patients received prewarming with a self-warming blanket and forced-air warming intraoperatively; thirty patients received only forced-air warming intraoperatively. FINDING: The incidence of UPH (<36°C) was identified in 13% of the patients in the prewarmed group and 43% of the patients in the control group. Mean core temperature in the prewarmed group was significantly higher and remained above 36°C in the perioperative period. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that preoperative warming with a self-warming blanket reduces the incidence of UPH and decreases the drop in core temperature.

Influence of Patients' "Sense of Coherence" on Main Postoperative Variables in the Postanesthesia Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether patients' sense of coherence (SOC)--ability to comprehend their whole situation and their capacity to use available resources--influences acute postoperative complications in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). We hypothesized that patients' SOC would be negatively related to their experience of pain and nausea, consumption of opioids, and length of stay in the PACU--the higher the SOC, the lower the experience of pain and nausea, less consumption of opioids, and shorter PACU stay. Data were collected from the anesthesia and electronic medical records, and combined with a questionnaire. A total of 115 adults undergoing general anesthesia for orthopedic surgery were included in the analysis. Results showed a statistically significant negative relationship between SOC and postoperative pain and consumption of opioids in the PACU. Patients with a stronger SOC experienced significantly less pain (P < .01) and consumed significantly less opioids (P < .01) than those with a lower SOC. Patients' SOC influences their experience of pain and opioid consumption in the PACU. Therefore, patients' SOC could be one of many factors that nurse anesthetists consider in their efforts to predict, prevent, and decrease patients' experience of pain in the PACU.

Patients' perception of noise in the operating room--a descriptive and analytic cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Noise is a general stressor that affects the cardiovascular system, resulting in increased blood pressure and heart rate, both of which can be problematic for the patient preparing for anesthesia and surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the patient's perception of noise in the OR before anesthesia, the correlation between the actual noise levels and the patient's perception of noise, and if there are particular patient subgroups that are especially vulnerable to noise. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was performed within a mixed descriptive and analytical design, including 120 patients (60 acute/60 elective) undergoing general anesthesia for orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: Data collection consisted of registration of demographic variables and measurements of noise levels in the OR combined with a questionnaire. FINDINGS: Results showed that 10% of the patients perceived noise levels in the OR as very high and experienced the noise as annoying, disruptive, and stressful. There was no correlation between the actual noise levels to which patients were exposed and their perception of noise. Acute patients perceived significantly more noise than elective patients (P<.01), although they were actually exposed to less noise. Of the acute patients, those undergoing major surgery perceived more noise than patients undergoing minor surgery (P<.01), although actually exposed to less noise. There was a significant correlation between patients' sense of coherence (SOC) and their perception of noise (P<.01). Most patients who perceived noise levels as very high had a SOC below 50 (scale: 13-91). CONCLUSIONS: Perianesthesia nurses need to maintain their focus on keeping noise levels in the OR as low as possible. When caring for acute patients, patients undergoing major surgery and patients with a low SOC perianesthesia nurses should be particularly aware, as these patients might be more vulnerable to noise.

Sense of coherence as a predictor for patients' quality of recovery after total hip or knee arthroplasty - A descriptive cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Patients' postoperative quality of recovery (QOR) is an important outcome measurement and predicting and preventing impaired quality of recovery is essential. In this study, we aimed to investigate if patients Sense of Coherence (SOC) could be a potential predictor and screening instrument for impaired quality of recovery. We hypothesized that patients' SOC is positively related to their QOR. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed as a descriptive single-center prospective cohort study. Data was collected using digital questionnaires. Patients undergoing total hip (THA) or knee arthroplasty (TKA) received the SOC13 questionnaire prior to their surgery to establish their SOC and a questionnaire on postoperative day 2 and 7, respectively, establishing their QOR. Multiple linear regression was used to fit a model for the QOR score using SOC, age, sex, and type of surgery as potential explanatory variables. RESULTS: 206 patients were included in the study analysis. The results showed a highly significant positive correlation between patients' SOC and their postoperative QOR on both postoperative day 2 and 7 (p < 0.01). Patients with a lower SOC score also presented a significantly lower QOR score, meaning they experienced impaired QOR compared to patients with a higher SOC score. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that a weak SOC (low SOC score) can be considered a clinically important indicator for risk of impaired QOR (low QOR score) after THA and TKA. The SOC13 questionnaire may be a potential screening instrument identifying patients in risk of impaired postoperative QOR based on a low SOC score.

Noise in the operating room--what do we know? A review of the literature.

Because noise is a general stressor, noise in the OR should be avoided whenever possible. This article presents the results of a review of the research literature on the topic of noise in the OR. A systematic literature search was conducted. Eighteen relevant articles were identified and categorized as follows: noise levels, noise sources, staff performances, and patient's perception of noise. Each study was assessed according to the strength of the evidence and the quality of the study. Noise levels in the OR in general exceed recommended levels, and the noise sources are related to equipment and staff behavior. The main effect of noise on staff performances is related to impaired communication, resulting in a negative effect on patient safety. The literature on patients' perception of noise is both limited and inconsistent, and more research on this topic is needed.