Natalya Makarova

Effect of Hydroxyethyl Starch on Postoperative Kidney Function in Patients Having Noncardiac Surgery

Background:Whether intraoperative use of hydroxyethyl starch impairs kidney function remains unknown. The authors thus tested the primary hypothesis that Hextend promotes renal injury in surgical patients. Secondarily, the authors evaluated the dose–outcome relationship, in-hospital and 90-day mortality, and whether the relationship between colloid use and acute kidney injury (AKI) depends on baseline risk for AKI. Methods:The authors evaluated the data of 44,176 adults without preexisting kidney failure who had inpatient noncardiac surgery from 2005 to 2012. Patients given a combination of colloid and crystalloid were propensity matched on morphometric, and baseline characteristics to patients given only crystalloid. The primary analysis was a proportional odds logistic regression with AKI as an ordinal outcome based on the Acute Kidney Injury Network classification. Results:The authors matched 14,680 patients receiving colloids with 14,680 patients receiving noncolloids for a total of 29,360 patients. After controlling for potential confounding variables, the odds of developing a more serious level of AKI with Hextend was 21% (6 to 38%) greater than with crystalloid only (P = 0.001). AKI risk increased as a function of colloid volume (P < 0.001). In contrast, the relationship between colloid use and AKI did not differ on baseline AKI risk (P = 0.84). There was no association between colloid use and risk of in-hospital (P = 0.81) or 90-day (P = 0.02) mortality. Conclusion:Dose-dependent renal toxicity associated with Hextend in patients having noncardiac surgery is consistent with randomized trials in critical care patients.

Longevity and Cost of Implantable Intrathecal Drug Delivery Systems for Chronic Pain Management: A Retrospective Analysis of 365 Patients

Intrathecal drug delivery systems represent an important component of interventional strategies for refractory chronic pain syndromes. Continuous intrathecal administration of opioids results in higher subarachnoid drug concentrations, improved pain scores, and less frequent side effects when compared with systemic opioid administration. Substantial costs arise at the time of surgical implantation and at revision for battery depletion or treatment of a complication. Despite current widespread use, the real‐world longevity and cost of implanted intrathecal pumps (ITP) has not been fully quantified.

Comparison of Transversus Abdominis Plane Infiltration with Liposomal Bupivacaine versus Continuous Epidural Analgesia versus Intravenous Opioid Analgesia

Epidural analgesia is considered the standard of care but cannot be provided to all patients Liposomal bupivacaine has been approved for field blocks such as transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks but has not been clinically compared against other modalities. In this retrospective propensity matched cohort study we thus tested the primary hypothesis that TAP infiltration are noninferior (not worse) to continuous epidural analgesia and superior (better) to intravenous opioid analgesia in patients recovering from major lower abdominal surgery. 318 patients were propensity matched on 18 potential factors among three groups (106 per group): 1) TAP infiltration with bupivacaine liposome; 2) continuous Epidural analgesia with plain bupivacaine; and; 3) intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA). We claimed TAP noninferior (not worse) over Epidural if TAP was noninferior (not worse) on total morphine-equivalent opioid and time-weighted average pain score (10-point scale) within first 72 hours after surgery with noninferiority deltas of 1 (10-point scale) for pain and an increase less of 20% in the mean morphine equivalent opioid consumption. We claimed TAP or Epidural groups superior (better) over IV PCA if TAP or Epidural was superior on opioid consumption and at least noninferior on pain outcome. Multivariable linear regressions within the propensity-matched cohorts were used to model total morphine-equivalent opioid dose and time-weighted average pain score within first 72 hours after surgery; joint hypothesis framework was used for formal testing. TAP infiltration were noninferior to Epidural on both primary outcomes (p<0.001). TAP infiltration were noninferior to IV PCA on pain scores (p = 0.001) but we did not find superiority on opioid consumption (p = 0.37). We did not find noninferiority of Epidural over IV PCA on pain scores (P = 0.13) and nor did we find superiority on opioid consumption (P = 0.98). TAP infiltration with liposomal bupivacaine and continuous epidural analgesia were similar in terms of pain and opioid consumption, and not worse in pain compared with IV PCA. TAP infiltrations might be a reasonable alternative to epidural analgesia in abdominal surgical patients. A large randomized trial comparing these techniques is justified.

A temporal analysis of opioid use, patient satisfaction, and pain scores in colorectal surgery patients

BACKGROUND Recent health care policy changes promote objective measurements of patient satisfaction with care provided during hospitalization. Acute postsurgical pain is a significant medical problem and strongly impacts patient experience and patient satisfaction. Multimodal analgesic pathways are used for acute pain management, but opioid medications remain a mainstay of treatment. Opioid use is increasing in the outpatient setting, but opioid use trends in the inpatient postsurgical setting are not well known. We hypothesized that use of opioid medications has increased over time along with decrease in postoperative pain scores and increase in pain-related patient satisfaction. METHODS In this single-center study, we studied the trends and correlation in the average daily pain scores, opioid consumption, and patient satisfaction scores as measured by pain-related patient satisfaction questions in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System survey. Pain scores and opioid use data were obtained from electronic health records, vital signs monitoring, and medication databases. Adult patients who had nonemergent colorectal surgeries between January 2009 and December 2012 were included. RESULTS We found no significant trend in opioid use or pain-related patient satisfaction scores. There was an average annual increase of 0.3 (98.3% confidence interval, 0.2-0.4; P< .001) in average daily pain score from 2.8 ± 1.5 to 3.8 ± 1.5. The univariable associations between time-weighted pain score, average daily opioid dose, and pain-related patient satisfaction score were all highly significant. CONCLUSION In this retrospective cohort study, opioid use and pain-related patient satisfaction scores were stable over time. Pain-related patient satisfaction scores were negatively associated with both pain score and opioid dose. The associations we report should not be considered evidence of a causal relationship.

Long-Acting Patient-Controlled Opioids Are Not Associated With More Postoperative Hypoxemia Than Short-Acting Patient-Controlled Opioids After Noncardiac Surgery: A Cohort Analysis.

BACKGROUND:Opioids can contribute to postoperative desaturation. Short-acting opioids, titrated to need, may cause less desaturation than longer-acting opioids. We thus tested the primary hypothesis that long-acting patient-controlled intravenous opioids are associated with more hypoxemia (defined as an integrated area under a postoperative oxyhemoglobin saturation of 95%) than short-acting opioids. METHODS:This analysis was a substudy of VISION, a prospective cohort study focused on perioperative cardiovascular events (NCT00512109). After excluding for predefined criteria, 191 patients were included in our final analysis, with 75 (39%) patients being given fentanyl (short-acting opioid group) and 116 (61%) patients being given morphine and/or hydromorphone (long-acting opioid group). The difference in the median areas under a postoperative oxyhemoglobin saturation of 95% between short-acting and long-acting opioids was compared using multivariable median quantile regression. RESULTS:The short-acting opioid median area under a postoperative oxyhemoglobin saturation of 95% per hour was 1.08 (q1, q3: 0.62, 2.26) %-h, whereas the long-acting opioid median was 1.28 (0.50, 2.23) %-h. No significant association was detected between long-acting and short-acting opioids and median area under a postoperative oxyhemoglobin saturation of 95% per hour (P = .66) with estimated change in the medians of −0.14 (95% CI, −0.75, 0.47) %-h for the patients given long-acting versus short-acting IV patient-controlled analgesia opioids. CONCLUSIONS:Long-acting patient-controlled opioids were not associated with the increased hypoxemia during the first 2 postoperative days.

Brachial arterial pressure monitoring during cardiac surgery rarely causes complications

Background: Brachial arterial catheters better estimate aortic pressure than radial arterial catheters but are used infrequently because complications in a major artery without collateral flow are potentially serious. However, the extent to which brachial artery cannulation promotes complications remains unknown. The authors thus evaluated a large cohort of cardiac surgical patients to estimate the incidence of related serious complications. Methods: The institutional Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database and Perioperative Health Documentation System Registry of the Cleveland Clinic were used to identify patients who had brachial artery cannulation between 2007 and 2015. Complications within 6 months after surgery were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnostic and procedural codes, Current Procedural Terminology procedure codes, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons variables. The authors reviewed electronic medical records to confirm that putative complications were related plausibly to brachial arterial catheterization. Complications were categorized as (1) vascular, (2) peripheral nerve injury, or (3) infection. The authors evaluated associations between brachial arterial complications and patient comorbidities and between complications and in-hospital mortality and duration of hospitalization. Results: Among 21,597 qualifying patients, 777 had vascular or nerve injuries or local infections, but only 41 (incidence 0.19% [95% CI, 0.14 to 0.26%]) were potentially consequent to brachial arterial cannulation. Vascular complications occurred in 33 patients (0.15% [0.10 to 0.23%]). Definitely or possibly related infection occurred in 8 (0.04% [0.02 to 0.08%]) patients. There were no plausibly related neurologic complications. Peripheral arterial disease was associated with increased risk of complications. Brachial catheter complications were associated with prolonged hospitalization and in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: Brachial artery cannulation for hemodynamic monitoring during cardiac surgery rarely causes complications.

Lack of Association between Blood Pressure Management by Anesthesia Residents and Competence Committee Evaluations or In-training Exam Performance: A Cohort Analysis.

Background:Prompt treatment of severe blood pressure instability requires both cognitive and technical skill. The ability to anticipate and respond to episodes of hemodynamic instability should improve with training. The authors tested the hypothesis that the duration of severe hypotension during anesthesia administered by residents correlates with concurrent adjusted overall performance evaluations by the Clinical Competence Committee and subsequent in-training exam scores. Methods:The authors obtained data on 70 first- and second-year anesthesia residents at the Cleveland Clinic. Analysis was restricted to adults having noncardiac surgery with general anesthesia. Outcome variables were in-training exam scores and subjective evaluations of resident performance ranked in quintiles. The primary predictor was cumulative systolic arterial pressure less than 70 mmHg. Secondary predictors were administration of vasopressors, frequency of hypotension, average duration of hypotensive episodes, and blood pressure variability. Results:The primary statistical approach was mixed-effects modeling, adjusted for potential confounders. The authors considered 15,216 anesthesia care episodes. A total of 1,807 hypotensive episodes were observed, lasting an average of 32 ± 20 min (SD) per 100 h of anesthesia, with 68% being followed by vasopressor administration. The duration of severe hypotension (systolic pressure less than 70 mmHg) was associated with neither Competence Committee evaluations nor in-training exam scores. There was also no association between secondary blood pressure predictors and either Competence Committee evaluations or in-training exam results. Conclusions:There was no association between any of the five blood pressure management characteristics and either in-training exam scores or clinical competence evaluations. However, it remains possible that the measures of physiologic control, as assessed from electronic anesthesia records, evaluate useful but different aspects of anesthesiologist performance.

Comparison of 2 resident learning tools - Interactive screen-based simulated case scenarios versus problem-based learning discussions: A prospective quasi-crossover cohort study

STUDY OBJECTIVE Simulation-based learning is emerging as an alternative educational tool in this era of a relative shortfall of teaching anesthesiologists. The objective of the study is to assess whether screen-based (interactive computer simulated) case scenarios are more effective than problem-based learning discussions (PBLDs) in improving test scores 4 and 8 weeks after these interventions in anesthesia residents during their first neuroanesthesia rotation. DESIGN Prospective, nonblinded quasi-crossover study. SETTING Cleveland Clinic. PATIENTS Anesthesiology residents. INTERVENTIONS Two case scenarios were delivered from the Anesoft software as screen-based sessions, and parallel scripts were developed for 2 PBLDs. Each resident underwent both types of training sessions, starting with the PBLD session, and the 2 cases were alternated each month (ie, in 1 month, the screen-based intervention used case 1 and the PBLD used case 2, and vice versa for the next month). MEASUREMENTS Test scores before the rotation (baseline), immediately after the rotation (4 weeks after the start of the rotation), and 8 weeks after the start of rotation were collected on each topic from each resident. The effect of training method on improvement in test scores was assessed using a linear mixed-effects model. MAIN RESULTS Compared to the departmental standard of PBLD, the simulation method did not improve either the 4- or 8-week mean test scores (P = .41 and P = .40 for training method effect on 4- and 8-week scores, respectively). Resident satisfaction with the simulation module on a 5-point Likert scale showed subjective evidence of a positive impact on resident education. CONCLUSIONS Screen-based simulators were not more effective than PBLD for education during the neuroanesthesia rotation in anesthesia residency.

The Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Adverse Postoperative Outcomes: A Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND:Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a high overall incidence of mortality, primarily because of cardiovascular complications. Thus, we tested the primary hypothesis that rheumatoid arthritis is independently associated with increased postoperative cardiovascular complications. Second, we determined whether rheumatoid arthritis is associated with increased thromboembolic complications, microcirculatory complications, and mortality. METHODS:We obtained censuses of 2009 to 2010 inpatient hospital discharge data across 7 states (Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey). Rheumatoid arthritis was identified using the present-on-admission diagnosis code 714.0. Each rheumatoid arthritis discharge that had surgery was propensity matched to a control discharge. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare matched rheumatoid arthritis and control patients on risk of in-hospital cardiovascular complications. RESULTS:Among 5.5 million qualifying discharges, the matching procedure yielded successful 66,886 matched pairs. One thousand ninety-five (1.64%) of the matched rheumatoid arthritis discharges and 1006 (1.50%) of the matched controls had in-hospital cardiovascular complications. The adjusted odds ratio (99% confidence interval) was estimated at 1.08 (0.96–1.21; P = 0.08). There were no significant differences in the odds of in-hospital thromboembolic complications (1.03 [0.93–1.15]; P = 0.42), in-hospital microcirculatory complications (0.94 [0.86–1.01]; P = 0.03), or in-hospital mortality (1.11 [0.98–1.25]; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS:Rheumatoid arthritis was not associated with an increased risk for postoperative cardiovascular complications.

Etomidate and the Risk of Complications After Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis

OBJECTIVE To compare incidence of atrial arrhythmia, duration of care, and major complications after cardiac surgery between patients who received etomidate and those who received other induction agents. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study utilizing propensity score matching. SETTING A single academic, tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS Eight thousand nine hundred seventy-eight patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve, or combined valve/CABG surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass between January 2005 and December 2010. INTERVENTIONS Patients were divided into those who received etomidate at anesthetic induction and those who received another induction agent. Patients given etomidate were propensity-score matched to patients given other induction agents in a 2:1 ratio. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Of 8,978 patients who underwent CABG, valve, or combined valve/surgery, 6,313 received etomidate and 2,665 received other induction agents. Among these, the authors successfully matched 4,094 etomidate patients with 2,524 non-etomidate patients. The authors did not find a significant association between receiving etomidate and odds of experiencing postoperative atrial arrhythmia (odds ratio [98.3% confidence interval] of 1.07 [0.92, 1.23], p = 0.29). Etomidate was not associated significantly with either intensive care unit or hospital stay. Etomidate was associated significantly with use of packed red blood cells (odds ratio [99.6% confidence interval] of 1.32 [1.02, 1.70], p = 0.002), but not with use of fresh frozen plasma, platelets, or cryoprecipitate. None of the other complications differed significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Etomidate was not associated with increased incidence of postoperative atrial arrhythmia or increased intensive care unit or hospital stay.