Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2018
ReviewPerioperative Patient Blood Management to Improve Outcomes.
Anemia is common in elective surgery and is an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Historical management of anemia has focused on the use of allogeneic blood transfusion but this in itself is not without risk. It too has been independently associated with morbidity and mortality, let alone the costs and relative shortage of this resource. ⋯ Characterization of the current practice of PBM at each hospital is crucial to facilitate the benchmarking of performance. Barriers to effective implementation such as lack of knowledge should be identified and acted on. Continuous audit of practice with a focus on transfusion rates and patient outcomes can identify areas in need of improvement and provide iterative feedback to motivate and inspire the main stakeholders.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) in the perioperative period is a common complication and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. A standard definition and staging system for AKI has been developed, incorporating a reduction of the urine output and/or an increase of serum creatinine. Novel biomarkers may detect kidney damage in the absence of a change in function and can also predict the development of AKI. ⋯ Two recently published studies found that implementing this bundle in high-risk patients reduced the occurrence of AKI in the perioperative period. In addition, the application of remote ischemic preconditioning has been studied to potentially reduce the incidence of perioperative AKI. This review discusses the epidemiology and pathophysiology of surgery-associated AKI, highlights the importance of intraoperative oliguria, and emphasizes potential preventive strategies.