Markus Torkki

The Treatment of Disc Herniation-induced Sciatica With Infliximab: One-year Follow-up Results of First Ii, a Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Design. A randomized controlled trial. Objectives. To evaluate the long-term efficacy of infliximab, a monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), in patients with acute/subacute sciatica secondary to herniated disc. Summary of Background Data. The results of experimental studies and our open-label trial support the use of infliximab in sciatica. Here we report the 1-year results of a randomized controlled trial (FIRST II, Finnish Infliximab Related STudy) evaluating the efficacy and safety of a single infusion of infliximab for sciatic pain. Methods. Inclusion criteria were unilateral sciatic pain with a disc herniation concordant with the symptoms and signs of radicular pain. Patients had to be candidates for discectomy. Criteria for discectomy included (in addition to a symptomatic disc herniation on MRI) neural entrapment (straight leg raising [SLR] ≤60°) with either a short-term (2–4 weeks) severe or long-term (4–12 weeks) moderate leg pain. Forty patients were allocated to a single intravenous infusion of either infliximab 5 mg/kg or placebo. Differences in the clinical examination parameters (straight leg raise [SLR], muscle strength, sensory defects, tendon reflexes), patient-reported symptoms (leg and back pain using a visual analog scale [VAS], Oswestry disability, quality-of-life [RAND-36]), sick leaves, number of discectomies, and adverse effects between the two treatment groups over the 1-year follow-up were compared using Mann-Whitney U test or Students t test, repeated-measures analysis, or Cox proportional hazards model. Logistic regression was used to assess the predictors of good response. Results. Sixty-seven percent of patients in the infliximab group reported no pain at 52 weeks compared with 63% in the control group (P = 0.72). Similar efficacy was observed between treatment groups for other outcomes. Eight patients in each group required surgery. Three nonserious adverse reactions were encountered in the infliximab group. The response (irrespective of the treatment) was significantly better with shorter symptom duration and less SLR restriction at baseline. Patients in the infliximab group appeared to especially benefit in cases of a L4–L5 (or L3–L4) herniation and if a Modic change was colocalized at the symptomatic level. Conclusions. Although the long-term results of this randomized trial do not support the use of infliximab compared with placebo for lumbar radicular pain in patients with disc herniation-induced sciatica, further study in a subgroup of patients with L4–L5 or L3–L4 herniations, especially in the presence of Modic changes, appears to be warranted.

Use of anesthesia induction rooms can increase the number of urgent orthopedic cases completed within 7 hours

Background:Mean turnover times and the time spent in the operating room (OR) can be reduced by concurrent induction of anesthesia. Previous studies of anesthesia induction outside the OR have concentrated either on anesthesia-controlled time or turnover time. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of an induction room model on the whole surgical process, its phases and delays between the phases, and the number of cases performed during the 7-h working day. Methods:A prospective analysis of OR times was conducted for 5 weeks with the traditional induction-in-the-OR model followed by 4 weeks with a new model: A team of two nurses and one anesthesiologist was added to one OR to perform parallel anesthesia induction in a separate induction room. The durations of phases of surgical process, number of completed cases between 7:45 am and 3:00 pm, and daily raw utilization of the OR were assessed. Results were compared to those measured before the intervention. Results:The mean nonoperative time was reduced by 45.6%, whereas surgery time remained unchanged. The time savings contributed to the concurrent anesthesia induction and the cut down in delays between the phases. The new model allowed one additional case to be performed during the 7-h working day. Conclusions:Anesthesia induction outside the OR can increase the number of surgical cases performed during a regular workday.

Managing urgent surgery as a process: Case study of a trauma center

OBJECTIVES Industrial management principles could be used to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. In this study, we have evaluated the effects of a process management approach to trauma patient care. The major objective was to reduce the waiting times and increase the efficiency of the hospital. METHODS Urgent surgery care was analyzed as an overall process. The process development followed the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and was based on statistical analysis of certain performance metrics. Data were collected from hospital databases and by personnel interviews. To develop the process, the anesthesia induction was performed outside the operating room, better process guidance was developed, and patient flow was reorganized. The transition time for these changes was 1 year (2002 to 2003). RESULTS Waiting times decreased by 20.5 percent (p < .05), nonoperative times in the operating room were reduced by 23.1 percent (p < .001), and efficiency was increased by 9.7 percent (p < .001) after reengineering of the care process. Overtime hours decreased by 30.9 percent. CONCLUSIONS Managing urgent surgical care as a process can improve the productivity and quality of care without a need to increase personnel resources. The focus should be on reducing waiting times and waste times.

Time Accuracy of a Radio Frequency Identification Patient Tracking System for Recording Operating Room Timestamps

A patient tracking system is a promising tool for managing patient flow and improving efficiency in the operating room. Wireless location systems, using infrared or radio frequency transmitters, can automatically timestamp key events, thereby decreasing the need for manual data input. In this study, we measured the accuracy and precision of automatically documented timestamps compared with manual recording. Each patient scheduled for urgent surgery was given an active radio frequency/infrared transmitter. The prototype software tracked the patient throughout the perioperative process, automatically documenting the timestamps. Both automatic and traditional data entry were compared with the reference data. The absolute value of median error was 64% smaller (P < 0.01), and the average quartile deviation of error was 69% smaller in automatic documentation. The average delay between an activity and the documentation was 80 seconds in automatic documentation and 735 seconds in manual documentation. Both the accuracy and the precision were better in automatic documentation and the data were immediately available. Automatic documentation with the Indoor Positioning System can help in managing patient flow and in increasing transparency with faster availability and better accuracy of data.