Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2002
Calculating a potential increase in hospital margin for elective surgery by changing operating room time allocations or increasing nursing staffing to permit completion of more cases: a case study.
Administrators routinely seek to increase contribution margin (revenue minus variable costs) to better cover fixed costs, provide indigent care, and meet other community service responsibilities. Hospitals with high operating room (OR) utilizations can allocate OR time for elective surgery to surgeons based partly on their contribution margins per hour of OR time. This applies particularly when OR caseload is limited by nursing recruitment. From a hospital's annual accounting data for elective cases, we calculated the following for each surgeon's patients: variable costs for the entire hospitalization or outpatient visit, revenues, hours of OR time, hours of regular ward time, and hours of intensive care unit (ICU) time. The contribution margin per hour of OR time varied more than 1000% among surgeons. Linear programming showed that reallocating OR time among surgeons could increase the overall hospital contribution margin for elective surgery by 7.1%. This was not achieved simply by taking OR time from surgeons with the smallest contribution margins per OR hour and giving it to the surgeons with the largest contribution margins per OR hour because different surgeons used differing amounts of hospital ward and ICU time. We conclude that to achieve substantive improvement in a hospital's perioperative financial performance despite restrictions on available OR, hospital ward, or ICU time, contribution margin per OR hour should be considered (perhaps along with OR utilization) when OR time is allocated. ⋯ For hospitals where elective surgery caseload is limited by nursing recruitment, to increase one surgeon's operating room time either another surgeon's time must be decreased, nurses need to be paid a premium for working longer hours, or higher-priced "traveling" nurses can be contracted. Linear programming was performed using Microsoft Excel to estimate the effect of each of these interventions on hospital contribution margin.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAlkalinization of intracuff lidocaine improves endotracheal tube-induced emergence phenomena.
We sought to evaluate the effect of filling an endotracheal tube cuff with 40 mg lidocaine alone (Group L) or alkalinized lidocaine (Group LB) in comparison to an Air Control group (Group C) on adverse emergence phenomena in a randomized controlled study (n = 25 in each group). The incidence of sore throat was decreased for Group LB in comparison to Group L during the 24 postextubation hours. The difference between Group L and Group C remained significant in the two postextubation hours only. Plasma lidocaine levels increased when lidocaine was alkalinized (C(max) were 62.5 +/- 34.0 ng/mL and 3.2 +/- 1.0 ng/mL for Groups LB and L, respectively). Cough and restlessness before tracheal extubation were decreased in Group LB compared with Group L and in Group L compared with Group C. Nausea, postoperative vomiting, dysphonia, and hoarseness were increased after extubation in Group C compared with the liquid groups, and a better tolerance was recorded with Group LB compared with Group L. The increase of arterial blood pressure and cardiac frequencies during the extubation period was less in the liquid groups than in the control group and less in Group LB compared with Group L. We concluded that use of intracuff alkalinized lidocaine is an effective adjunct to endotracheal intubation. ⋯ Use of 40 mg of alkalinized lidocaine, rather than lidocaine or air, to fill the endotracheal tube cuff reduces the incidence of sore throat in the postoperative period. This approach also decreases hemodynamic effects, restlessness, dysphonia, and hoarseness.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialDolasetron for preventing postanesthetic shivering.
We designed this study to assess the efficacy of dolasetron compared with clonidine and placebo in prophylaxis of postanesthetic shivering. We included 90 patients undergoing elective abdominal or urologic surgery. The patients were randomly assigned to one three groups (each group n = 30) using a double-blinded study protocol: Group A received 12.5 mg dolasetron, Group B 3 microg/kg clonidine, and Group C saline 0.9% as placebo. The medication was given after the induction of anesthesia. Postanesthetic shivering was judged by using a five-point scale. In the Clonidine group, 86.6% showed no shivering, whereas in the Dolasetron and Placebo groups, only 63.3% and 66.6%, respectively, were symptom free. Only clonidine, but not dolasetron, significantly reduced the incidence and the severity of shivering. We conclude that clonidine is effective in preventing shivering when given before surgery, whereas dolasetron, at the dose used, is not effective. ⋯ Shivering, an irregular muscular fasciculation lasting longer than 15 s, is a common complication secondary to general anesthesia. We compared dolasetron with clonidine (an established antishivering drug) in the prevention of postanesthetic shivering. Dolasetron 12.5 mg was not effective.
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The performance of a new calibrator for pulse oximeters is tested with five pulse oximeters from different manufacturers. The calibrator is based on time resolved transmission spectra of human fingers. Finger spectra with different arterial oxygen saturation can be selected to simulate real patients. ⋯ Beside accuracy tests the suitability for artifact simulation with the new device is discussed. The response of the five tested pulse oximeters is in good agreement with the response of the pulse oximeters connected to real patients. A test procedure for pulse oximeters similar to the conventional desaturation practice is possible; some of the typical artifacts pulse oximetry has to cope with can be simulated easily.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2002
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialThe rewarming rate and increased peak temperature alter neurocognitive outcome after cardiac surgery.
Neurocognitive dysfunction is a common complication after cardiac surgery. We evaluated in this prospective study the effect of rewarming rate on neurocognitive outcome after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). After IRB approval and informed consent, 165 coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients were studied. Patients received similar surgical and anesthetic management until rewarming from hypothermic (28 degrees -32 degrees C) CPB. Group 1 (control; n = 100) was warmed in a conventional manner (4 degrees -6 degrees C gradient between nasopharyngeal and CPB perfusate temperature) whereas Group 2 (slow rewarm; n = 65) was warmed at a slower rate, maintaining no more than 2 degrees C difference between nasopharyngeal and CPB perfusate temperature. Neurocognitive function was assessed at baseline and 6 wk after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Univariable analysis revealed no significant differences between the Control and Slow Rewarming groups in the stroke rate. Multivariable linear regression analysis, examining treatment group, diabetes, baseline cognitive function, and cross-clamp time revealed a significant association between change in cognitive function and rate of rewarming (P = 0.05). ⋯ Slower rewarming during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was associated with better cognitive performance at 6 wk. These results suggest that a slower rewarming rate with lower peak temperatures during CPB may be an important factor in the prevention of neurocognitive decline after hypothermic CPB.