Kennith H. Sartorelli

The safety and efficacy of spinal anesthesia for surgery in infants : The vermont infant spinal registry

Studies with modest numbers of patients have suggested that spinal anesthesia in infants is associated with a very infrequent incidence of complications, such as hypoxemia, bradycardia, and postoperative apnea. Although spinal anesthesia would seem to be a logical alternative to general anesthesia for many surgical procedures, it remains an underutilized technique. Since 1978, clinical data concerning all infants undergoing spinal anesthesia at the University of Vermont have been prospectively recorded. In all, 1554 patients have been studied. Anesthesia was performed by anesthesia trainees and attending anesthesiologists. The success rate for LP was 97.4%. An adequate level of spinal anesthesia was achieved in 95.4% of cases. The average time required to induce spinal anesthesia was 10 min. Oxygen hemoglobin desaturation to <90% was observed in 10 patients. Bradycardia (heart rate <100 bpm) occurred in 24 patients (1.6%). This study confirms the infrequent incidence of complications associated with spinal anesthesia in infants. Spinal anesthesia can be performed safely, efficiently, and with the expectation of a high degree of success. Spinal anesthesia should be strongly considered as an alternative to general anesthesia for lower abdominal and lower extremity surgery in infants.

Nonoperative management of hepatic, splenic, and renal injuries in adults with multiple injuries.

BACKGROUND Nonoperative management (NOM) of abdominal solid organ (ASO; liver, spleen, kidney) injuries from blunt trauma in adults has gained acceptance, but multisystem trauma remains a relative contraindication to NOM. METHODS We reviewed the charts of 126 adult patients who underwent NOM of an ASO injury for success of NOM, transfusions, and complications. Patients were divided into two groups: group I had isolated ASO injuries (n = 48); group II had an ASO injury and at least one additional injury with an Abbreviated Injury Score > or = 2 (n = 78). RESULTS NOM was successful 89.6% of group I and 93.6% of group II patients (p = 0.55). Group II had higher Injury Severity Scores (20.7 +/- 9.8 vs. 8.3 +/- 4.9 p < 0.05) and transfusion requirements (30.8% vs. 14.6%,p < 0.05) than group I. Complication rates were not different (group I, 20.8% vs. 26.9% group II, p = 0.58). CONCLUSION NOM of ASO injuries may attempted in adult patients with multiple injuries without increased morbidity.

Improved outcome utilizing spinal anesthesia in high-risk infants

The development of apnea following general anesthesia in high-risk infants (less than 60 weeks postconceptual age) has been reported up to 37%, prompting the routine admission of these children following minor surgical procedures. One hundred forty high-risk infants (American Society of Anesthesiologists category greater than or equal to 2) were prospectively evaluated after undergoing surgical procedures normally performed as outpatients in low-risk babies. All patients had spinal anesthesia for their operations. The mean gestational age for these infants was 30.8 +/- 3.7 weeks (minimum, 24 weeks) with a mean birth weight of 1,466.0 +/- 638.8 g. The mean postconceptual age and weight at the time of surgery were 44.8 +/- 7.8 weeks and 3,336 +/- 1,242 g, respectively. Difficulty in administering the spinal anesthetic occurred in 6 cases (4.2%). Postoperative complications occurred in 5 children (3.8%). They were: postoperative fever (2), transient bradycardia (2), and apnea (1). The four cases of postoperative fever and bradycardia were insignificant and required no medical intervention. The single case of apnea occurred in a premature infant who received a supplemental dose of intravenous midazolam. Length of operation in these cases ranged from 15 minutes to 95 minutes (mean, 53 minutes), with two incidents of inadequate anesthesia occurring in this cohort. Mean duration of anesthesia was 146 minutes (range, 50 to 240 minutes) and was directly dependent on dosage administration of the agents. These data indicate that the use of spinal anesthesia in high-risk infants is safe and effective for surgical procedures generally performed as outpatients (3.0% minor complication rate, 0.8% major complication rate).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Implementation of resident work hour restrictions is associated with a reduction in mortality and provider-related complications on the surgical service: a concurrent analysis of 14,610 patients.

Objective:To determine the effect of implementation of work hour restrictions on the rates of morbidity, mortality, and provider-related complications in surgical patients and to determine the incremental personnel costs associated with implementation. Summary Background Data:In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education enacted resident work hour restrictions (RWHR) to improve patient safety by decreasing errors attributed to resident fatigue. There are no quantitative data on surgical patients to validate whether this objective has been achieved and, if so, at what cost. Methods:Retrospective observational cohort analysis of data gathered concurrently with patient care for 30 days after admission or surgical intervention before implementation (prerestriction: July 2001–June 2003) and after (postrestriction: July 2005–June 2007). Main outcome measures: mortality, surgical complications, percentage of complications judged to be provider-related, and incremental personnel costs (salary and fringe of providers). Results:A total of 14,610 patients were admitted during the 2 periods. Compared with the prerestriction period, there was a significant reduction in the percentage of complications attributed to providers (pre: 48.3%; post: 38.6%, P < 0.001) and a significant reduction in mortality rate (pre: 1.9%; post: 1.1%, P = 0.002) in the postrestriction period. Postrestriction the clinical care hours provided by attending surgeons increased significantly and was associated with a 1250% increase in the RVU-82 billing modifier (“no qualified resident available”) from 523 RVUs pre-RWHR to 6542 post-RWHR. There was an increase in annual personnel costs postrestriction of

Angiographic Embolization Is Safe and Effective Therapy for Blunt Abdominal Solid Organ Injury in Children

1.466 million. Conclusions:Implementation of RWHR was associated with reduced provider-related complications and mortality suggesting improved patient safety. This was likely due to several factors including reduced resident fatigue and greater attending involvement in clinical care.

The effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) upon burn-induced defective neutrophil chemotaxis.

BACKGROUND : Angiographic embolization (AE) is used to control hemorrhage in adult blunt liver, spleen, and kidney (ASO) injuries. Pediatric experience with AE for blunt ASO injuries is limited. We reviewed our use of AE to control bleeding pediatric blunt ASO injuries for efficacy and safety. METHODS : A 5-year review (trauma registry and charts) of children (age < or = 16 years) who had AE for hemorrhage from blunt ASO injuries. Nonoperative management was attempted in all stable children with blunt ASO injuries. Children with ongoing hemorrhage underwent AE. The success of AE and complications were evaluated. Data were reviewed on injury type and grade, injury severity score, length of intensive care unit stay (LOS-ICU) and length of hospital stay (LOS), and complications. RESULTS : One hundred twenty-seven patients with 149 blunt ASO injuries were identified (72 spleen, 51 liver, and 26 renal). Two children had immediate splenectomies. Seven children underwent AE: two spleen (grades IV and V), two liver (grades III and IV), and three grade IV renal injuries. Three children received blood before embolization. Mean age and injury severity score were 12.3 years +/- 3.7 years and 22.4 +/- 10.0,respecyively. Mean intensive care unit stay was 4.8 days +/- 5.5 days with a mean length of hospital stay of 12.8 days +/- 5.5 days. Embolization was successful in all children; there were no procedure-related complications. Four minor complications occurred; two pleural effusions and two patients with transient hypertension. A nephroblastoma was later found in one renal injury requiring nephrectomy. CONCLUSIONS : AE is a safe and an effective technique for controlling hemorrhage from blunt ASO injuries in select pediatric patients.

Associated head injury should not prevent nonoperative management of spleen or liver injury in children

Severe thermal injury results in impairment of granulocyte production and function. The ability to improve the functional capacity of neutrophils could contribute to a reduced morbidity and mortality from sepsis following thermal injury. Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that rhG-CSF increases the number of femoral marrow granulocyte progenitor cells and circulating neutrophils as well as the survival rate following burn wound infection. The studies reported here examine the effect of in-vivo administration of rhG-CSF on neutrophil chemotaxis following a burn injury and also following superimposed Pseudomonas burn wound sepsis in mice. Casein-elicited peritoneal neutrophils were harvested 72 hours after burn injury and 24 hours after infection. Chemotaxis was assessed using microchemotaxis chambers and 10(-5) M fMet-Phe as a chemoattractant. The number of neutrophils that migrated into the filter was used as an index of directed chemotaxis. Burn injury resulted in depressed chemotaxis compared with sham or sham/G-CSF-treated animals (p less than 0.05). Administration of rhG-CSF to burned animals resulted in a level of neutrophil chemotaxis comparable with that in control animals. The presence of a burn wound infection caused no further impairment of chemotaxis. Administration of rhG-CSF to animals with a burn wound infection resulted in improved chemotaxis compared with sham, burned, and burned/infected animals. The beneficial effect of G-CSF following burn wound infections from this and previous studies appears to be a combination of expanded numbers of myeloid elements and preservation of their function.

Comparison of standard and alternative prehospital resuscitation in uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock and head injury.

The appropriate management of children with liver or spleen injuries and associated head injury after blunt trauma remains controversial. To evaluate the success rates for nonoperative management and the impact this approach has on both abdominal and head injury outcome, children recorded in the National Pediatric Trauma Registry were reviewed. From January 1, 1994 to April 1, 1995, 107 children (aged < 19) were identified with liver, spleen, and associated head injury from blunt trauma. Forty-five (42%) children had combined head and spleen injury, 51 (48%) had head and liver injury, and 11 (10%) had head, liver, and spleen injury. Only 18 (17%) required laparotomy (head and spleen injury, 9 (8%); head and liver injury, 5 (5%); and head, liver, and spleen injury, 4 (4%)). Overall, there were no differences in Glasgow Coma Scale scores for children requiring laparotomy compared with those managed conservatively (13 vs. 14, p > 0.05). For all groups, the mean Injury Severity Score was significantly higher for children requiring laparotomy (19 vs. 31, p < 0.05). However, when comparison of the groups was stratified for type of injury and severity, the transfusion requirements, mortality, and abdominal and neurologic morbidity were all improved in children managed nonoperatively. Contrary to previous guidelines in the literature for selection of patients for nonoperative management of blunt solid organ abdominal injury, the association of altered mental status from head injury with liver and spleen injuries should not impact the decision for observational management.

Perforation of the intrathoracic esophagus from blunt trauma in a child: Case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Recently acquired data suggest that prehospital fluid resuscitation may worsen outcome of patients with penetrating torso trauma. In patients with head injury, delayed resuscitation (DR) could lead to secondary cerebral ischemia. We hypothesized that standard prehospital resuscitation (SPR) with lactated Ringers solution or diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin would reduce secondary cerebral ischemia compared with DR. METHODS Anesthetized swine were randomized to receive SPR, diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin, or DR after cryogenic brain injury and uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock and studied for 70 minutes after the combined insults. RESULTS Hemorrhage volume was lowest in the DR group (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups in systemic or cerebral oxygen delivery. Intracranial pressure was lower and cerebral perfusion pressure higher in the diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin group compared with SPR (p<0.05). Lesion size was greatest in the SPR group, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSION In this model, SPR leads to secondary cerebral ischemia. DR is no worse and may be superior to conventional prehospital resuscitation with lactated Ringers solution.

Financial aspects of providing trauma care at the extremes of life

Rupture of the intrathoracic esophagus from blunt trauma is an exceedingly rare injury in children and often presents on a delayed basis. The authors encountered a case of this unusual injury and review six additional cases found in the literature.