Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2016
A Technical Evaluation of Wireless Connectivity from Patient Monitors to an Anesthesia Information Management System During Intensive Care Unit Surgery.
Surgical procedures performed at the bedside in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia were documented using paper anesthesia records in contrast to the operating rooms, where an anesthesia information management system (AIMS) was used for all cases. This was largely because of logistical problems related to connecting cables between the bedside monitors and our portable AIMS workstations. We implemented an AIMS for documentation in the NICU using wireless adapters to transmit data from bedside monitoring equipment to a portable AIMS workstation. ⋯ Two wireless cases exhibited brief periods of data loss; one case had an extended data gap because of adapter power failure. In comparison, in a control group of 30 surgical cases in which wired connections were used, there were no data gaps. The wireless AIMS provided a simple, unobtrusive, portable alternative to paper records for documenting anesthesia records during NICU bedside procedures.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2016
Prevalence of Malignant Hyperthermia Diagnosis in New York State Ambulatory Surgery Center Discharge Records 2002 to 2011.
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare yet potentially fatal pharmacogenetic disorder triggered by exposure to inhaled anesthetics and the depolarizing neuromuscular blocking drug succinylcholine. Epidemiologic research on MH is largely limited to inpatients. In this study, we examined the prevalence of recorded MH diagnosis in patients discharged from ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). ⋯ The prevalence of recorded MH diagnosis in ASC patients is approximately 1 per 500,000 and varies considerably with surgical procedures.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2016
Review Meta AnalysisProphylactic Ondansetron for the Prevention of Intrathecal Fentanyl- or Sufentanil-Mediated Pruritis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.
Pruritus is a common side effect of intrathecal fentanyl or sufentanil that decreases patient satisfaction and may delay hospital discharge. There are conflicting reports about the efficacy of prophylactic ondansetron in reducing the incidence of pruritus. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effect of prophylactic ondansetron on the incidence of intrathecal fentanyl- or sufentanil-mediated pruritus and the need for rescue treatment. ⋯ IV 8 mg prophylactic ondansetron does not decrease the incidence of fentanyl- or sufentanil-mediated pruritus but may decrease the need for pruritus rescue medication, particularly in specific subgroups. Randomized trials are needed to confirm these results.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2016
Anesthesiologist- and System-Related Risk Factors for Risk-Adjusted Pediatric Anesthesia-Related Cardiac Arrest.
Pediatric anesthesia-related cardiac arrest (ARCA) is an uncommon but potentially preventable adverse event. Infants and children with more severe underlying disease are at highest risk. We aimed to identify system- and anesthesiologist-related risk factors for ARCA. ⋯ Case-mix explained most associations between higher risk of pediatric ARCA and anesthesiologist-related variables at our institution, but the association with fewer annual days delivering anesthetics remained. Our findings highlight the need for rigorous adjustment for patient risk factors in anesthesia patient safety studies.