Rodney A. Gabriel

Operating Room Metrics Score Card--Creating a Prototype for Individualized Feedback

The balance between reducing costs and inefficiencies with that of patient safety is a challenging problem faced in the operating room suite. An ongoing challenge is the creation of effective strategies that reduce these inefficiencies and provide real-time personalized metrics and electronic feedback to anesthesia practitioners. We created a sample report card structure, utilizing existing informatics systems. This system allows to gather and analyze operating room metrics for each anesthesia provider and offer personalized feedback. To accomplish this task, we identified key metrics that represented time and quality parameters. We collected these data for individual anesthesiologists and compared performance to the overall group average. Data were presented as an electronic score card and made available to individual clinicians on a real-time basis in an effort to provide effective feedback. These metrics included number of cancelled cases, average turnover time, average time to operating room ready and patient in room, number of delayed first case starts, average induction time, average extubation time, average time to recovery room arrival to discharge, performance feedback from other providers, compliance to various protocols, and total anesthetic costs. The concept we propose can easily be generalized to a variety of operating room settings, types of facilities and OR health care professionals. Such a scorecard can be created using content that is important for operating room efficiency, research, and practice improvement for anesthesia providers.

Growth of Nonoperating Room Anesthesia Care in the United States: A Contemporary Trends Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although previous publications suggest an increasing demand and volume of nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) cases in the United States, there is little factual information on either volume or characteristics of NORA cases at a national level. Our goal was to assess the available data using the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR). METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of NORA volume and case characteristics using NACOR data for the period 2010–2014. Operating room (OR) and NORA cases were assessed for patient, provider, procedural, and facility characteristics. NACOR may indicate general trends, since it collects data on about 25% of all anesthetics in the United States each year. We examined trends in the annual proportion of NORA cases, the annual mean age of patients, the annual proportions of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA PS) III–V patients, and outpatient cases. Regression analyses for trends included facility type and urban/rural location as covariables. The most frequently reported procedures were identified. RESULTS: The proportion of NORA cases overall increased from 28.3% in 2010 to 35.9% in 2014 (P < .001). The mean age of NORA patients was 3.5 years higher compared with OR patients (95% CI 3.5–3.5, P < .001). The proportion of patients with ASA PS class III–V was higher in the NORA group compared with OR group, 37.6% and 33.0%, respectively (P < .001). The median (quartile 1, 3) duration of NORA cases was 40 (25, 70) minutes compared with 86 (52, 141) minutes for OR cases (P < .001). In comparison to OR cases, more NORA cases were started after normal working hours (9.9% vs 16.7%, P < .001). Colonoscopy was the most common procedure that required NORA. There was a significant upward trend in the mean age of NORA patients in the multivariable analysis—the estimated increase in mean age was 1.06 years of age per year of study period (slope 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.07, P < .001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the mean age of NORA patients increased significantly faster compared with OR patients (difference in slopes 0.39; 95% CI 0.38–0.41, P < .001). The annual increase in ordinal ASA PS of NORA patients was small in magnitude, but statistically significant (odds ratio 1.03; 95% CI 1.03–1.03, P < .001). The proportion of outpatient NORA cases increased from 69.7% in 2010 to 73.3% in 2014 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that NORA is a growing component of anesthesiology practice. The proportion of cases performed outside of the OR increased during the study period. In addition, we identified an upward trend in the age of patients receiving NORA care. NORA cases were different from OR cases in a number of aspects. Data collected by NACOR in the coming years will further characterize the trends identified in this study.

Incidence and risk factors for early postoperative reintubations

STUDY OBJECTIVE Reintubations are associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality, increased hospital length of stay, and increased cost. Our aim was to assess the national incidence and associated risk factors for unanticipated early postoperative reintubations. DESIGN Using the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) from 2010 to 2014, multivariate logistic regression was fitted to determine if various patient, surgical, intraoperative, or provider data were associated with unanticipated early postoperative reintubations. SETTING NACOR from 2010 to 2014. PATIENTS A total of 2,970,904 cases were included. Multivariate analysis controlled for patient age, sex, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS We report odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the relative odds of an association of predictor variable with reintubations. MAIN RESULTS The incidence of unanticipated early postoperative reintubations from the NACOR database was 0.061%. Overall, reintubations were more likely in the extremes of age (age under 1 year had OR = 3.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.64-4.52 and age 80+ has OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.50-2.15 when compared with age 19-49 years), patients with ASA Physical Status 3 and 4 (OR = 4.06, 95% CI = 3.38-4.86 and OR = 8.65, 95% CI = 7.11-10.52, respectively, when compared with ASA 1), longer case duration (180-360 minutes OR = 13.87, 95% CI = 10.7-17.98 when compared with cases less than 60 minute duration), and cases that had a resident trainee present (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.03-1.44 when compared with no resident present). Thoracic and vascular surgical procedures had the highest rates of reintubation when compared with general surgery (OR = 3.47, 95% CI = 2.81-4.28 and OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.24-1.82, respectively). CONCLUSIONS A number of risk factors correlate with an increased risk of unanticipated early postoperative reintubations, including extremes of age, patients with greater medical comorbidities, longer operations, and patients undergoing thoracic procedures.

Pulmonary Artery Catheter Use During Cardiac Surgery in the United States, 2010 to 2014

OBJECTIVES To examine patterns of use of pulmonary artery catheters in a large cohort of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. DESIGN A retrospective study with univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify independent predictors for the utilization of pulmonary artery catheters. SETTING University, small, medium and large community hospitals participating in the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry. PARTICIPANTS A total of 116,333 patients undergoing pulmonary artery catheter placement during cardiac surgery in the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry from the Anesthesia Quality Institute. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Age older than 50 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of 3 or higher, case duration of longer than 6 hours, and presence of a resident physician or certified nurse anesthetist were associated with increased likelihood of pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) placement. Age<18 years, or presence of a board-certified anesthesiologist, were associated with a decreased likelihood of catheter placement. The use of PACs has increased from 2010 to 2014. The presence of a PAC did not alter the risk of cardiac arrest intraoperatively. A nonsignificant decrease in mortality was associated with catheter placement. Transfusion was 75% less likely in the PAC cohort than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS Pulmonary artery catheter use remains a mainstay of cardiac anesthesia practice. No significant change in the incidence of intraoperative death was noted, but patients with a PAC were less likely to have blood transfused.

Analysis of Unplanned Postoperative Admissions to the Intensive Care Unit

Purpose: To investigate factors associated with unplanned postoperative admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: Data from the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) were analyzed. We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify patient- and surgery-specific characteristics associated with unplanned postoperative ICU admission. We also recorded the prevalence of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision (ICD-9) billing codes and outcomes for unplanned postoperative ICU admissions. Results: Of 23 341 130 records in the database, 2 910 738 records met our inclusion criteria. A higher American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA PS) class, case duration greater than 4 hours, and advanced age were associated with a greater likelihood of unplanned ICU admission. Vascular and thoracic surgery patients were more likely to have an unplanned ICU admission. The most common CPT and ICD-9 codes involved repair of femur/hip fracture, bowel resection, and acute postoperative pain. Large community hospitals were more likely than university hospitals to have unplanned postoperative ICU admissions. Patients in the unplanned postoperative ICU admission group were more likely to have experienced intraoperative cardiac arrest, hemodynamic instability, or respiratory failure and were more likely to die in the immediate perioperative period. Conclusion: Our study is the first diverse analysis of unplanned postoperative ICU admissions in the literature across multiple specialties and practice models. We found an association of advanced age, higher ASA PS class, and duration of procedure with unplanned ICU admission after surgery. Surgical specialties and procedures with the most unplanned ICU admissions could be areas for quality improvement and clinical pathways in the future.

Infection Rates of Electrical Leads Used for Percutaneous Neurostimulation of the Peripheral Nervous System.

Percutaneous neurostimulation of the peripheral nervous system involves the insertion of a wire “lead” through an introducing needle to target a nerve/plexus or a motor point within a muscle. Electrical current may then be passed from an external generator through the skin via the lead for various therapeutic goals, including providing analgesia. With extended use of percutaneous leads sometimes greater than a month, infection is a concern. It was hypothesized that the infection rate of leads with a coiled design is lower than for leads with a noncoiled cylindrical design.

Choice of Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery: An Analysis of the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry.

Neuraxial anesthesia use in cesarean deliveries (CDs) has been rising since the 1980s, whereas general anesthesia (GA) use has been declining. In this brief report we analyzed recent obstetric anesthesia practice patterns using National Anesthesiology Clinical Outcomes Registry data. Approximately 218,285 CD cases were identified between 2010 and 2015. GA was used in 5.8% of all CDs and 14.6% of emergent CDs. Higher rates of GA use were observed in CDs performed in university hospitals, after hours and on weekends, and on patients who were American Society of Anesthesiologists class III or higher and 18 years of age or younger.

A Comparison between office and other ambulatory practices: Analysis from the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry.

Ambulatory and office-based surgery is expanding rapidly. While growth continues, there are lingering patient safety concerns. To this end, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) created the Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI), which collected patient and procedural characteristics on 23,341,130 anesthetics from all health care settings from 2010 to 2014. Of these, 179,618 office and 4,627,379 ambulatory cases were isolated and compared. Our findings show that although both settings are often grouped together, there are statistically significant differences in patient demographics, procedure types, and reported adverse events. Among these reports, inadequate postoperative pain control and nausea/vomiting are the most common issue. More serious events such as death, cardiac arrest, and vision loss occurred but were rare.

Rate of Major Anesthetic-Related Outcomes in the Intraoperative and Immediate Postoperative Period After Cardiac Surgery

OBJECTIVES To examine anesthesia-centered outcomes in a large cohort of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or valvular heart surgery. DESIGN A retrospective study with univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify independent predictors for mortality. SETTING Diverse setting including university, small, medium, and large community hospitals. PARTICIPANTS All patients undergoing CABG or valve surgery in the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) from the Anesthesia Quality Institute. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Common anesthesia-centered outcomes including arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, death, hemodynamic instability, hypotension, inadequate pain control, nausea/vomiting, seizure, stroke, reintubation and transfusion were reported. All outcomes, consistent with NACOR data entry, were defined as occurring intraoperatively or during phase I or II recovery in the PACU. Death occurred in 0.15% of CABGs and 0.23% of valve surgeries. Age less than 18, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA PS) classification of 5, and mean case duration greater than 6 hours were associated with increased mortality (p<0.05). The presence of a board-certified anesthesiologist was associated with decreased odds for mortality. CONCLUSIONS Death was a rare outcome in this cohort, reflecting the infrequent occurrence of intraoperative or immediate postoperative death. The presence of a board-certified anesthesiologist represented a modifiable risk factor for reducing mortality risk.

Utilization of Femoral Nerve Blocks for Total Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Little information exists on national trends in the utilization of femoral nerve blocks (FNBs) in total knee arthroplasties (TKAs). We sought to describe the variations in anesthetic practice for FNB using the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry. METHODS We used the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry to obtain patient, procedural, and provider information from January 2010 to June 2015. Case characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared using chi-square or t tests. We used logistic regression to identify associations between patient and case characteristics with anesthetic technique. RESULTS Overall, 219,327 cases met the inclusion criteria, in which 72.7% and 27.3% did not or did receive a FNB, respectively. Patients less than 18 years old and those with higher American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class (≥III) were less likely to receive a FNB. Surgeries performed after 5:00 PM also were less likely to receive the block. Cases with urban zip code had approximately 20% increased odds of receiving a FNB. General or neuraxial anesthesia types were not associated with utilization of FNB. FNB was associated with decreased percentage of extended recovery room stays and postoperative nausea and/or vomiting. CONCLUSION There is considerable practice variation in the use of FNB for TKA, which is associated with various factors such as geographic location, time of day, and patient-specific comorbidities. Approximately one fourth of TKA cases include FNB. Overall, our study supports the clinical utility of FNB in TKA. As more data are compiled, it will be important to examine how national trends shift in the future.