Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · May 2021
ReviewOptimal care for mother and child: Safety in obstetric anaesthesia.
Anaesthetists play a major role in the perioperative treatment of patients, sharing responsibility for quality and safety in anaesthesia, intensive care, emergency and pain medicine. Several aspects lead to the fact that these issues are particularly important in obstetric anaesthesia. As morbidity and mortality are dramatically higher than in a nonpregnant population in this age, there is room for improvement even in regions with a well-developed healthcare system. ⋯ This mostly involves an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach that includes obstetricians, neonatologists, anaesthetists, intensivists and of course midwives and nurses. In this article, established standards and emerging possibilities to improve patient safety by developing a culture of awareness for safety aspects, education, establishing safety and communication strategies and performing teamwork- and simulation training are discussed. Apart from these issues, self-care of clinicians is vital in the prevention of adverse events, because fatigue and burnout are associated with increased rates of complications.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · May 2021
ReviewScores for preoperative risk evaluation of postoperative mortality.
Preoperative risk evaluation scores are used prior to surgery to predict perioperative risks. They are also a useful tool to help clinicians communicate the risk-benefit balance of the procedure to patients. This review identifies and assesses the existing preoperative risk evaluation scores (also called prediction scores) of postoperative mortality in all types of surgery (emergency or scheduled) in an adult population. ⋯ We found 26 scores described within 60 different reports. The most suitable scores with the highest validity identified for anaesthesia practice were the Preoperative Score to Predict Postoperative Mortality (POSPOM), the Universal ACS NSQIP surgical risk calculator (ACS-NSQUIP), the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS) classification system. While other scores identified in this review could also be endorsed, their level of validity and generalizability to the general surgical population should be carefully considered.