Anesthesia Record-keeping System Research Articles

2150. Surgical Prophylaxis in Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients: Variations in Protocol and Impact on 30-Day Surgical Site Infections

Abstract Background Children undergoing liver transplantation are at risk for surgical site infections (SSI). IDSA/ASHP/SIS/SHEA guidelines recommend surgical prophylaxis with a third-generation cephalosporin plus ampicillin or piperacillin-tazobactam alone. The study objectives were to describe the surgical prophylaxis used at our institution, obtain data on whether prophylactic antimicrobials are adjusted for multidrug resistant organisms and to determine whether adjustments correlate with SSI. Methods Pediatric liver transplant procedures, with associated peri-operative and intra-operative antimicrobials, were extracted from our institutions’ Anesthesia Record Keeping System (ARKS) between 2005-2022. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, microbiological data (e.g., colonization), protocol deviations and 30-day CDC/NHSN SSIs. Results Seventy-one procedures were performed in 69 patients, median age 3 years (range, 5 months- 17 years), where 89% had a pre-transplant infectious disease consultation. Variations from protocol occurred in 39% (n=28), of which 3 were consult-directed. Sixteen were colonized with an organism prior to transplant (3 MDRO and 1 Candida spp.), of which 10 had a protocol adjustment (p< 0.001). The most common additional antimicrobials were vancomycin (n=17) and fluconazole (n=8). Reasons for fluconazole were fulminant liver failure (n=2), surgeon concern (n=3), colonization or prolonged antimicrobials prior to transplant (n=2) and continuation of prophylaxis (n=1). Ten procedures were complicated by an SSI (14%). SSI rates did not differ in those with and without protocol adjustments (p=0.50). Conclusion Adjustments to guideline concordant surgical prophylaxis recommendations occurred in 39% of pediatric liver transplant procedures, with the most common being addition of vancomycin or fluconazole. Adjustments were based on a pre-transplant infectious disease consult recommendations in 11% of cases. Protocol adjustment correlated with any pretransplant microbiology culture result, but not with either MDRO colonization or subsequent SSI. Antimicrobial stewardship efforts may be indicated to address variations in antimicrobial prophylaxis in pediatric liver transplant patients. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Understanding barriers and facilitators to the use of Clinical Information Systems for intensive care units and Anesthesia Record Keeping: A rapid ethnography

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the current use of commercial-off-the-shelf Clinical Information Systems (CIS) for intensive care units (ICUs) and Anesthesia Record Keeping (ARK) for operating rooms and post-anesthesia care recovery settings at three Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). Clinicians and administrative staff use these applications at bedside workstations, in operating rooms, at nursing stations, in physician's rooms, and in other various settings. The intention of a CIS or an ARK system is to facilitate creation of electronic records of data, assessments, and procedures from multiple medical devices. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Chief of Nursing Informatics sought to understand usage barriers and facilitators to optimize these systems in the future. Therefore, a human factors study was carried out to observe the CIS and ARK systems in use at three VAMCs in order to identify best practices and suggested improvements to currently implemented CIS and ARK systems. MethodsWe conducted a rapid ethnographic study of clinical end-users interacting with the CIS and ARK systems in the critical care and anesthesia care areas in each of three geographically distributed VAMCs. Two observers recorded interactions and/or interview responses from 88 CIS and ARK end-users. We coded and sorted into logical categories field notes from 69 shadowed participants. The team transcribed and combined data from key informant interviews with 19 additional participants with the observation data. We then integrated findings across observations into meaningful patterns and abstracted the data into themes, which translated directly to barriers to effective adoption and optimization of the CIS and ARK systems. ResultsEffective optimization of the CIS and ARK systems was impeded by: (1) integration issues with other software systems; (2) poor usability; (3) software challenges; (4) hardware challenges; (5) training concerns; (6) unclear roles and lack of coordination among stakeholders; and (7) insufficient technical support. Many of these barriers are multi-faceted and have associated sub-barriers, which are described in detail along with relevant quotes from participants. In addition, regionalized purchases of different CIS and ARK systems, as opposed to enterprise level purchases, contributed to some of the identified barriers. Facilitators to system use included (1) automation and (2) a dedicated facility-level CIS-ARK Coordinator. ConclusionsWe identified barriers that explain some of the challenges with the optimization of the CIS and ARK commercial systems across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). To help address these barriers, and evolve them into facilitators, we categorized report findings as (1) interface and system-level changes that vendors or VA healthcare systems can implement; (2) implementation factors under VA control and not under VA control; and (3) factors that may be used to inform future application purchases. We outline several recommendations for improved adoption of CIS and ARK systems and further recommend that human factors engineering and usability requirements become an integral part of VA health information technology (HIT) application procurement, customization, and implementation in order to help eliminate or mitigate some of the barriers of use identified in this study. Human factors engineering methods can be utilized to apply a user-centered approach to application requirements specification, application evaluation, system integration, and application implementation.

The use of a clinical database in an anesthesia unit: focus on its limits

Anesthesia information management system (AIMS) can be used a part of quality assurance program to improve patient care, however erroneous or missing data entries may lead to misinterpretation. This study assesses the accuracy of information extracted for six consecutive years from a database linked to an automatic anesthesia record-keeping system. An observational study was conducted on a database linked AIMS system. The database was filled in real time during surgical/anesthesia procedure and in the post-anesthesia care unit. The following items: name of the anesthetist, duration of anesthesia, duration of monitoring, ventilatory status upon arrival in postoperative care unit, pain scores, nausea and vomiting scores, pain medication (morphine) and anti nausea and vomiting drug consumption (ondansetron) were extracted and analysed in order to determine exhaustivity (percentage of missing data) and accuracy of the database. The analysis covered 55,946 anaesthetic procedures. The rate of missing data was initially high upon installation but decreased over time. It was limited to 5% after 3 years for items such as start of anesthesia or name of the anesthetist. However exhaustivity/completeness of some other variable, such as nausea and vomiting started as low as 50% to reach 20% at 2008. After cross analysing pain and post-operative nausea and vomiting scores with related medication consumption, (morphine and ondansetron) we conclude that missing data was due to omission of a zero score rather than human error. The follow-up of quality assurance program may use data from AIMS provided that missing or erroneous values be mentioned and their impact on calculations accurately analysed.

Variability in Blood and Blood Component Utilization as Assessed by an Anesthesia Information Management System

Data can be collected for various purposes with anesthesia information management systems. The authors describe methods for using data acquired from an anesthesia information management system to assess intraoperative utilization of blood and blood components. Over an 18-month period, data were collected on 48,086 surgical patients at a tertiary care academic medical center. All data were acquired with an automated anesthesia recordkeeping system. Detailed reports were generated for blood and blood component utilization according to surgical service and surgical procedure, and for individual surgeons and anesthesiologists. Transfusion hemoglobin trigger and target concentrations were compared among surgical services and procedures, and between individual medical providers. For all patients given erythrocytes, the mean transfusion hemoglobin trigger was 8.4 ± 1.5, and the target was 10.2 ± 1.5 g/dl. Variation was significant among surgical services (trigger range: 7.5 ± 1.2-9.5 ± 1.1, P = 0.0001; target range: 9.1 ± 1.2-11.3 ± 1.4 g/dl, P = 0.002), surgeons (trigger range: 7.2 ± 0.7-9.8 ± 1.0, P = 0.001; target range: 8.8 ± 0.9-11.8 ± 1.3 g/dl, P = 0.001), and anesthesiologists (trigger range: 7.2 ± 0.8-9.6 ± 1.2, P = 0.001; target range: 9.0 ± 0.9-11.7 ± 1.3 g/dl, P = 0.0004). The use of erythrocyte salvage, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets varied threefold to fourfold among individual surgeons compared with their peers performing the same surgical procedure. The use of data acquired from an anesthesia information management system allowed a detailed analysis of blood component utilization, which revealed significant variation among surgical services and surgical procedures, and among individual anesthesiologists and surgeons compared with their peers. Incorporating these methods of data acquisition and analysis into a blood management program could reduce unnecessary transfusions, an outcome that may increase patient safety and reduce costs.

Does manual anaesthetic record capture remove clinically important data?

Numerous studies have shown smoothing and inaccuracies in handwritten anaesthetic records, but the clinical relevance of these findings is unclear. We therefore sought to determine whether the behaviour of anaesthetists differed in assessing anaesthetic records re-synthesized from either handwritten or automated records. In a recent New Zealand study (ACTRN12608000068369), both manual and automated records were acquired from the same anaesthetics. Manual records were digitized using digital callipers. Selected data (systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure; heart rate; Sp(O(2)); E'(CO(2))) were replayed in a computerized anaesthetic record-keeping system with which the participants were familiar, to present manual and corresponding automated anaesthetic records. Ten anaesthetists, randomly selected from participants in this study, assessed 24 replayed records (a manual and an automated record from each of 10 anaesthetics, with two of each displayed twice). They indicated where and how they would have intervened if administering these anaesthetics. We compared the number of interventions for each pair of anaesthetics and subjective measures of anaesthetic quality. In our selected sample of unstable anaesthetics, the mean (SD) number of interventions per anaesthetic was 4.0 (2.9) vs 5.2 (3.4) for manual and automated records, respectively (P=0.013). Subjective measures did not differ significantly between record types. Assessors identified 32 artifacts in six manual records (0.32/record assessment) and 105 artifacts in eight automated records (1.05/record assessment), P=0.14. Replicability was moderate (COV 39.8%). In comparison with computerized record-keeping, manual record-keeping resulted in loss of clinically relevant information.

Sonographically Guided Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block in Adults

The aim of this study was to analyze our experience in 1146 cases of sonographically guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block (ICBPB) performed over 32 months. Anesthetic records of 1146 cases of sonographically guided ICBPB performed by our staff were studied retrospectively with the use of a database created by an automated anesthesia record-keeping system. The rates of successful blocks, failed blocks necessitating conversion to general anesthesia or requiring supplementation with local anesthetics, those requiring larger-than-usual doses of sedation, and complications were determined. Analysis included an attempt to determine the possible causes of inadequate blocks and complications. In 1138 patients (99.3%), the block was successful. Six patients had incomplete blocks requiring general anesthesia, and another 2 patients needed local anesthetic supplementation by the surgeons. Ninety-seven percent of the blocks were performed by residents directly supervised by an attending anesthesiologist who held the ultrasound probe. The mean age+/-SD of the patients was 39+/-15 years; the mean duration of surgery was 165+/-114 minutes; and the male-female ratio was 4:1. More than 50% of patients were obese. There were no reported cases of nerve injury, pneumothorax, or local anesthetic toxicity. Arterial punctures occurred in 8 (0.7%) patients, but all were inconsequential. The data from this retrospective study suggest that sonographic guidance provides a high success rate (99.3%) and improved safety for ICBPB. The increased operator team experience virtually eliminates failure and complications.

Failure to Recognize Loss of Incoming Data in an Anesthesia Record-Keeping System May Have Increased Medical Liability

Automated anesthesia record-keeping systems (AARKs) are increasingly being used. There is a perception that AARKs may limit medical liability. We report a case in which our AARK may have increased our medical liability exposure. Nine months after a patient suffered a serious intraoperative complication, the anesthesiologist was named (as one of several defendants) in a claim alleging failure to properly monitor anesthetic care. One reason why the anesthesiologist was named related to a gap of 93 min in which no vital signs were documented in the anesthesia record. Relying on the physiological monitors to assess the patient's condition, the anesthesiologist did not recognize the interruption of data transmission, because the "active" medication window obscured the graphical display of the vital sign window.

Excessive alcohol consumption and perioperative outcome

Background Excessive alcohol consumption is a well-recognized factor contributing to premature morbidity and mortality. Methods This retrospective, matched cohort study was designed to assess the attributable effects of excessive alcohol consumption on outcome in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. All data of 28,065 patients operated at a tertiary care university hospital were recorded with a computerized anesthesia record-keeping system. Cases were defined as patients with history of excessive alcohol consumption (>30 g alcohol per day). Controls were selected according to matching variables in a stepwise fashion. Results In our data set, 928 patients (3.3%) were found with a history of excessive alcohol consumption. Matching was successful in 897 patients (97%). The crude mortality rates for the cases were 1.3% and 1.6%, for the matched controls ( P = .084, power = 0.85). Prolonged length of hospital stay was observed in 38% versus 33% ( P = .013, power = 0.50), admission to the intensive care unit was deemed necessary in 11% versus 9% ( P = .027, power = 0.55), and intraoperative cardiovascular events were detected from the database in 22% versus 21% ( P = .053, power = 0.61). Conclusions In this study, history of excessive alcohol consumption alone is not a factor leading to an increased perioperative risk in noncardiac surgery.

The incidence and prediction of automatically detected intraoperative cardiovascular events in noncardiac surgery.

The objective of this study was to evaluate prognostic models for quality assurance purposes in predicting automatically detected intraoperative cardiovascular events (CVE) in 58458 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. To this end, we assessed the performance of two established models for risk assessment in anesthesia, the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) and the ASA physical status classification. We then developed two new models. CVEs were detected from the database of an electronic anesthesia record-keeping system. Logistic regression was used to build a complex and a simple predictive model. Performance of the prognostic models was assessed using analysis of discrimination and calibration. In 5249 patients (17.8%) of the evaluation (n = 29437) and 5031 patients (17.3%) of the validation cohorts (n = 29021), a minimum of one CVE was detected. CVEs were associated with significantly more frequent hospital mortality (2.1% versus 1.0%; P < 0.01). The new models demonstrated good discriminative power, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.709 and 0.707 respectively. Discrimination of the ASA classification (AUC 0.647) and the RCRI (AUC 0.620) were less. Neither the two new models nor ASA classification nor the RCRI showed acceptable calibration. ASA classification and the RCRI alone both proved unsuitable for the prediction of intraoperative CVEs. The objective of this study was to evaluate prognostic models for quality assurance purposes to predict the occurrence of automatically detected intraoperative cardiovascular events in 58,458 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Two newly developed models showed good discrimination but, because of reduced calibration, their clinical use is limited. The ASA physical status classification and the Revised Cardiac Risk Index are unsuitable for the prediction of intraoperative cardiovascular events.

Increased Body Mass Index and Peri-operative Risk in Patients Undergoing Non-cardiac Surgery

Increased BMI is a well known risk factor for morbidity and mortality in hospitalized nonsurgical patients. However, the published evidence for a comparable effect in surgical patients is scarce. This retrospective study was designed to assess the attributable effects of increased BMI (>30 kg/m2) on outcome (hospital mortality, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and incidence of intraoperative cardiovascular events (CVE)) in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery by a computerized anesthesia record-keeping system. The study is based on data-sets of 28065 patients. Cases were defined as patients with BMI >30; controls (BMI 20-25) were automatically selected according to matching variables (ASA physical status, high risk and urgency of surgery, age and sex) in a stepwise fashion. Differences in outcome measures were assessed using univariate analysis. Stepwise regression models were developed to predict the impact of increased BMI on the different outcome measures. 4726 patients (16.8%) were found with BMI >30. Matching was successful for 41.5% of the cases, leading to 1962 cases and controls. The crude mortality rates were 1.1% (cases) vs 1.2% (controls); P =0.50, power=0.88). Admission to ICU was deemed necessary in 6.8% (cases) vs 7.5% (controls), P =0.42, power=0.65, and CVE were detected from the database in 22.3% (cases) vs 21.6% (controls), P =0.30, power=0.60. Using logistic regression analyses, no significant association between higher BMI and outcome measures could be verified. Increased BMI alone was not a factor leading to an increased perioperative risk in non-cardiac surgery. This fact may be due to an elevated level of attention while caring for obese patients.

Ventricular cardiac-assist devices in infants and children: anesthetic considerations

Objective: The application of a mechanical cardiac-assist device is now a common procedure in modern cardiac surgery in patients with end-stage failure, whereas in pediatric patients it is still a great challenge. In the recent literature, a broad range of survival and weaning rates have been reported, depending on the variety of mechanical devices and the choice of patients with different conditions before implantation or if the device is used in emergency surgery. In this article, the authors report their experience with pediatric cardiac-assist devices and the perioperative anesthesia management in this group of patients. Patients and methods: From 1997 to 2001, 11 infants and children were supported with a left and/or right ventricular-assist device. Diagnosis included myocarditis and complex cardiac malformations (hypoplastic left heart syndrome, tetralogy of Fallot with cardiomyopathy, and combined heart defects). The data sets of all patients were recorded using the online anesthesia record-keeping system NarkoData (IMESO GmbH, Hüttenberg, Germany). The program collects all perioperative data during surgery and during a stay in the PACU, including vital signs, administered drugs, as well as the data set of the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine. Results: All patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 = survivors and group 2 = nonsurvivors. A total of 5 patients were in group 1, and group 2 consisted of 6 patients. The duration of anesthesia in group 1 patients (173.2 ± 95.1 minutes) was significantly ( p < 0.05) shorter than in group 2 (631.1 ± 258.8 minutes) as well as the amount of packed red cells (group 1= 540.5 ± 150.3 mL, group 2 = 880.6 ± 400.3 mL). Cardiopulmonary bypass before implantation of a VAD was necessary only in 2 patients from group 1, whereas 5 patients in group 2 were on pump during the procedure. The rate of aortic cross-clamping was also significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: The surgical outcome depends on the patient’s condition at the time of surgery. Emergency surgery, preoperative multiorgan failure, and the need for an extracorporeal circulation with aortic cross-clamping seem to predict a negative outcome in this group of patients.

Differing incidences of relevant hypotension with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia and spinal anesthesia.

In this investigation we assessed whether patients receiving spinal anesthesia (SPA) as part of combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSE) more often experience relevant hypotension than patients receiving SPA alone. From January 1, 1997, until August 5, 2000, electronic anesthesia records from 1596 patients having received SPA and 1023 patients having received CSE for elective surgery were collected by using a computerized anesthesia record-keeping system. Relevant hypotension was defined as a decrease of mean arterial blood pressure of more than 30% within a 10-min interval and a therapeutic action of the attending anesthesiologist within 20 min after onset. Electronic patient charts were reviewed by using logistic regression with a forward stepwise algorithm to identify independent risk factors that were associated with an increased incidence of hypotension after CSE. Univariate analysis was performed to assess differences in biometric data and relevant risk factors for hypotension between the two procedures. The incidence of relevant hypotension was more frequent with CSE than with SPA alone (10.9% versus 5.0%; P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, arterial hypertension (odds ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-2.78) and sensory block height >T6 (odds ratio, 2.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.88-4.22) were found to be factors associated with hypotension in the CSE group. Compared with patients receiving SPA alone, patients undergoing CSE had a significantly more frequent prevalence of arterial hypertension and higher sensory block levels (P < 0.01) despite smaller amounts of local anesthetics. In this study, patients receiving CSE had an increased risk for relevant hypotension as compared with patients with SPA alone. Part of this effect seems to be due to the procedure alone and not only because this population is at higher risk. This study, based on a large number of patients with a retrospective design by using on-line recorded data, suggests that spinal anesthesia as part of combined spinal-epidural anesthesia may more often lead to relevant hypotension than spinal anesthesia alone. Preexisting arterial hypertension and a sensory block height exceeding T6 are major risk factors for the development of this complication.

Computerize anesthesia record keeping in thoracic surgery--suitability of electronic anesthesia records in evaluating predictors for hypoxemia during one-lung ventilation.

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the suitability of routine data gathered with a computerized anesthesia record keeping system in investigating predictors for intraoperative hypoxemia (SpO2 < 90%) during one-lung ventilation (OLV) in pulmonary surgery. Over a four-year period data of 705 patients undergoing thoracic surgery (pneumonectomy: 78; lobectomy: 292; minor pulmonary resections: 335) were recorded online using an automated anesthesia record-keeping system. Twenty-six patient-related, surgery-related and anesthesia-related variables were studied for a possible association with the occurrence of intraoperative hypoxemia during OLV. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate (logistic regression) analysis (p < 0.05). The model's discriminative power on hypoxemia was checked with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Calibration was tested using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. An intraoperative incidence of hypoxemia during OLV was found in 67 patients (9.5%). Using logistic regression with a forward stepwise algorithm, body-mass-index (BMI, p = 0.018) and preoperative existing pneumonia (p = 0.043) could be detected as independent predictors having an influence on the incidence of hypoxemia during OLV. An acceptable goodness-of-fit could be observed using cross validation for the model (C = 8.21, p = 0.370, degrees of freedom, df 8; H = 3.21, p = 0.350, df 3), the discriminative power was poor with an area under the ROC curve of 0.58 [0.51-0.66]. In contrast to conventional performed retrospective studies, data were directly available for analyses without any manual intervention. Due to incomplete information and imprecise definitions of parameters, data of computerized anesthesia records collected in routine are helpful but not satisfactory in evaluating risk factors for hypoxemia during OLV.

Cardiac arrest during anaesthesia. A computeraided study in 250 543 anaesthetics

With the aid of a computer-based anaesthetic record-keeping system, all cardiac arrests during anaesthesia at the Karolinska Hospital between July 1967 and December 1984 were retrieved. There were a total of 170 cardiac arrests and 250,543 anaesthetics in the data file, which gives an incidence of 6.8 cardiac arrests per 10,000 anaesthetics. Sixty patients died, constituting a mortality of 2.4 per 10,000 anaesthetics: 42 were considered as inevitable deaths (rupture of aortic or cerebral aneurysm, multitrauma, etc.); 13 cases of cardiac arrest were considered as non-anaesthetic, i.e. complications due to surgery and other procedures. Nine of these patients died. 115 cases of cardiac arrest were considered as caused by the anaesthetic and nine of these patients died. Thus mortality caused by anaesthesia was 0.3 per 10,000 anaesthetics. The most common cause of cardiac arrest due to anaesthesia was hypoxia because of ventilatory problems (27 patients), postsuccinylcholine asystole (23 patients) and post-induction hypotension (14 patients). The highest mortality was seen when spinal or epidural anaesthetics were given to patients with impaired physical status including hypovolaemia. The incidence of cardiac arrest has declined considerably during the period studied, and this coincides with an increasing number of qualified anaesthetists employed in the department during the same period.

Bronchospasm during anaesthesia. A computer-aided incidence study of 136,929 patients.

With the aid of a computer-based anaesthetic record-keeping system, anaesthetics complicated by bronchospasm during anaesthesia at the Karolinska Hospital were retrieved. The incidence of bronchospasm was calculated in groups characterized by various variables. In total, 246 cases of bronchospasm in 156,064 anaesthetics were retrieved. This corresponds to one case in 634 anaesthetics or 1.7 per 1000 patients. High incidence figures were seen in the age group 0-9 years (4.0/1000) when the patients showed a respiratory infection (41.1/1000), a pathological preoperative ECG (24.3/1000), an obstructive lung disease (21.9/1000), were classified as belonging to ASA class III (23.8/1000), if a tracheal intubation was performed (9.1/1000) or a rectal anaesthesia (35.7/1000) was given. In the age group 50-69 years (1.8/1000), high incidence figures were seen when there was an airway obstruction (8.8/1000), an obstructive lung disease (7.7/1000), a previous myocardial infarction (5.4/1000), a bronchoscopy (7.6/1000) or a mediastinoscopy (7.8/1000) was performed. Most of the cases had no history of allergy or asthma recorded in the anaesthetic form. In this series the triggering factor more often seemed to be of mechanical origin. There were no intraoperative deaths.

Aspiration During Anaesthesia

In order to estimate the incidence and significance of aspiration during anaesthesia, a study of cases in which this complication had occurred was made at the Karolinska Hospital. With the aid of the anaesthetic record-keeping system of the Department of Anaesthesia and the computer-based register of diagnoses of in-patients at the hospital, all cases in which aspiration was recorded were retrieved. Eighty-three cases of aspiration were retrieved from the file of anaesthetic records and four from the in-patient register. This constitutes an incidence of 4.7 aspirations in 10 000 anaesthetics, or 1 in 2131. The patients most often affected were children and the elderly. In 83% of the cases there were one or more preoperative factors indicating an increased risk for aspiration, such as emergency operation (38 cases, 43%), upper abdominal or emergency abdominal surgery (14 cases, 16%), a history indicating delayed gastric emptying (e. g. peptic ulcer/gastritis, pregnancy, obesity, unusual stress or pain, elevated intracranial pressure, 54 cases, 61%). In 29 cases (33%) there was a history indicating an increased risk of regurgitation, e. g. nasogastric tube, oesophageal disease or pregnancy. In 15 cases of elective surgery, no history of increased risk for aspiration could be found. In 67% of those cases the aspiration was preceded by difficulties involving the airways or intubation. The incidence of aspiration was more than sixfold higher during the night than during regular daytime working hours. In 41 cases (47%) the aspiration led to aspiration pneumonitis confirmed by x-ray. Fifteen patients (17%) needed mechanical ventilation, and four died. The mortality due to aspiration during anaesthesia was estimated to be 0.2 per 10 000 anaesthetics, and the mortality when aspiration had occurred during anaesthesia was approximately 5%. The conclusion to be drawn from this study is that today the mortality due to aspiration during anaesthesia is low. The patients in this study who died were in poor physical condition before the operation.

Aspiration During Anaesthesia

In order to estimate the incidence and significance of aspiration during anaesthesia, a study of cases in which this complication had occurred was made at the Karolinska Hospital. With the aid of the anaesthetic record-keeping system of the Department of Anaesthesia and the computer-based register of diagnoses of in-patients at the hospital, all cases in which aspiration was recorded were retrieved. Eighty-three cases of aspiration were retrieved from the file of anaesthetic records and four from the in-patient register. This constitutes an incidence of 4.7 aspirations in 10 000 anaesthetics, or 1 in 2131. The patients most often affected were children and the elderly. In 83% of the cases there were one or more preoperative factors indicating an increased risk for aspiration, such as emergency operation (38 cases, 43%), upper abdominal or emergency abdominal surgery (14 cases, 16%), a history indicating delayed gastric emptying (e. g. peptic ulcer/gastritis, pregnancy, obesity, unusual stress or pain, elevated intracranial pressure, 54 cases, 61%). In 29 cases (33%) there was a history indicating an increased risk of regurgitation, e. g. nasogastric tube, oesophageal disease or pregnancy. In 15 cases of elective surgery, no history of increased risk for aspiration could be found. In 67% of those cases the aspiration was preceded by difficulties involving the airways or intubation. The incidence of aspiration was more than sixfold higher during the night than during regular daytime working hours. In 41 cases (47%) the aspiration led to aspiration pneumonitis confirmed by x-ray. Fifteen patients (17%) needed mechanical ventilation, and four died. The mortality due to aspiration during anaesthesia was estimated to be 0.2 per 10 000 anaesthetics, and the mortality when aspiration had occurred during anaesthesia was approximately 5%. The conclusion to be drawn from this study is that today the mortality due to aspiration during anaesthesia is low. The patients in this study who died were in poor physical condition before the operation.

Aspiration during anaesthesia: a computer-aided study of 185,358 anaesthetics.

In order to estimate the incidence and significance of aspiration during anaesthesia, a study of cases in which this complication had occurred was made at the Karolinska Hospital. With the aid of the anaesthetic recordkeeping system of the Department of Anaesthesia and the computer-based register of diagnoses of in-patients at the hospital, all cases in which aspiration was recorded were retrieved. Eighty-three cases of aspiration were retrieved from the file of anaesthetic records and four from the in-patient register. This constitutes an incidence of 4.7 aspirations in 10 000 anaesthetics, or 1 in 2131. The patients most often affected were children and the elderly. In 83% of the cases there were one or more preoperative factors indicating an increased risk for aspiration, such as emergency operation (38 cases, 43%), upper abdominal or emergency abdominal surgery (14 cases, 16%), a history indicating delayed gastric emptying (e.g. peptic ulcer/gastritis, pregnancy, obesity, unusual stress or pain, elevated intracranial pressure, 54 cases, 61%). In 29 cases (33%) there was a history indicating an increased risk of regurgitation, e.g. nasogastric tube, oesophageal disease or pregnancy. In 15 cases of elective surgery, no history of increased risk for aspiration could be found. In 67% of those cases the aspiration was preceded by difficulties involving the airways or intubation. The incidence of aspiration was more than sixfold higher during the night than during regular daytime working hours. In 41 cases (47%) the aspiration led to aspiration pneumonitis confirmed by x-ray. Fifteen patients (17%) needed mechanical ventilation, and four died.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Laryngospasm during anaesthesia. A computer-aided incidence study in 136,929 patients.

With the aid of a computerized anaesthetic record-keeping system, the incidence of laryngospasm during anaesthesia was studied, in order to quantify the risk of this complication. 136,929 patients given 156,064 anaesthetics were studied. There were 1,232 cases of laryngospasm recorded in 1,197 patients. The incidence of laryngospasm was calculated in subgroups characterized by age, sex, preanaesthetic conditions, premedication, anaesthetic technique, type of surgery and concomitant complication. An incidence exceeding 50 laryngospasms in 1,000 patients was observed when giving anaesthesia to children with bronchial asthma, with airway infection, in those who had a previous anaesthetic complication, during oesophagoscopy and when correction of hypospadias was performed. Extirpation of skin tumours and scars in males 50-59 years old was also accompanied by a similarly high incidence. Figures exceeding 25 laryngospasms in 1,000 patients were seen in the age group 1-3 months and in children undergoing appendicectomy, oral endoscopy and plastic surgery, when tracheal intubation had been performed and when a gastrointestinal tube was used. In the age group 50-59 years, an incidence exceeding 25 in 1,000 patients was seen when there had been preoperative airway obstruction and in females when the anaesthetic technique included spontaneous breathing and face mask, or apneic oxygenation. Dilatation of the anal sphincter and mediastinoscopy in males were also associated with an increased incidence of laryngospasm.

A PSRO record-keeping system for anesthesiologist.

To meet the requirements for Professional Standards Review Organization (PSRO) auditing, a new anesthesia record-keeping system was designed. The forms are also well adapted for use in an anesthesia teaching department.