Cardiac Operating Room Research Articles

Impact of Universal Use of the McGrath Videolaryngoscope as a Device for All Intubations in the Cardiac Operating Room. A Prospective Before-After VIDEOLAR-CAR Study

Tracheal intubation in cardiac surgery patients has a higher incidence of difficult laryngoscopic views compared with patients undergoing other types of surgery. The authors hypothesized that using the McGrath Mac videolaryngoscope as the first intubation option for cardiac surgery patients improves the percentage of patients with "easy intubation" compared with using a direct Macintosh laryngoscope. A prospective, observational, before-after study. At a tertiary-care hospital. One thousand one hundred nine patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery were intubated using, as the first option, a Macintosh laryngoscope (preinterventional phase) or a McGrath Mac videolaryngoscope (interventional phase). The main objective was to assess whether the use of the McGrath videolaryngoscope, as the first intubation option, improves the percentage of patients with "easy intubation," defined as successful intubation on the first attempt, modified Cormack-Lehane grades of I or IIa, and the absence of the need for adjuvant airway devices. A total of 1,109 patients were included, 801 in the noninterventional phase and 308 in the interventional phase. The incidence of "easy intubation" was 93% in the interventional phase versus 78% in the noninterventional phase (p < 0.001). First-success-rate intubation was higher in the interventional phase (304/308; 98.7%) compared with the noninterventional phase (754/801, 94.1%; p = 0.005). Intubation in the interventional phase showed decreases in the incidence of difficult laryngoscopy (12/308 [3.9%] v 157/801 [19.6%]; p < 0.001), as well as moderate or difficult intubation (5/308 [1.6%] v 57/801 [7.1%]; p < 0.001). The use of the McGrath videolaryngoscope as the first intubation option for tracheal intubation in cardiac surgery improves the percentage of patients with "easy" intubation," increasing glottic view and first-success-rate intubation and decreasing the incidence of moderate or difficult intubation.

Designing and psychometric assessment of the moral intelligence scale for healthcare professionals

The moral intelligence of healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room is one of the most important aspects of professional competence. However, moral intelligence is an abstract and multidimensional concept that needs to be clarified and described based on organizational culture and environment. Therefore, there is a need to design a specific scale for measuring the moral intelligence of healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room. This study aims to design and assess the psychometric properties of a moral intelligence scale for healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room. The present study was a mixed method study with a sequential exploratory approach. The research was conducted in 2023–2024 in Iran. The first phase data were collected from 20 healthcare professionals and were analyzed by conventional content analysis method. In the second phase, the validity and reliability of the instrument were evaluated by involving 300 healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room. The moral intelligence of health care professionals in the cardiac operating room was defined as moral sensitivity combined with moral commitment and moral courage for the provision of quality care that respects the principles of medical ethics. After deducing the conceptual framework, the moral intelligence scale for healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room was developed with three dimensions: “moral sensitivity,” “moral commitment,” and “moral courage.” 11 items were removed during testing to ensure content validity. Face validity was confirmed with impact scores > 1.5 for all items. A scale was developed through factor analysis with three factors that accounted for 73.04% of the observed variance. The instrument’s reliability using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient calculation was reported as 0.94 for the entire instrument. The testretest showed no statistically significant difference between the pre and post-test scores of moral intelligence (p = 0.51). The moral intelligence scale demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. The moral intelligence scale for health care professionals in the cardiac operating room demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. This instrument may serve to assess the moral intelligence of healthcare professionals and determine the need for educational interventions to reduce the ethical challenges and improve the moral intelligence of this healthcare.

Determination of the prevalence of fever after congenital cardiac surgery in children

undergoing congenital heart surgery and causes anxiety in the surgeon and the patient's parents. Proper diagnosis and management of fever requires careful preoperative patient evaluation, targeted physical examination, and comprehensive knowledge about the prevalence and common causes of fever. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of fever after congenital heart surgery in children. Subjects and Methods This was a descriptive-analytical study on children under 10 years of age undergoing congenital heart surgery in the cardiac operating room of Golestan Hospital of Ahvaz in 2021. Data collection tools included a two-section checklist. The first section was related to demographic characteristics and the second addressed patients' clinical status and causes of fever. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results After surgery, 21 patients (31.8%) developed fever and the prevalence of fever was not significantly associated with age, sex, presence of genetic syndrome, type of disease, type of operation, cardio pulmonary bypass, duration of aortic cross clamp, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, or duration of operation. However, it was significantly correlated with the mean length of ICU stay (P&gt; 0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of fever in patients undergoing congenital heart surgery was relatively high and had a significant relationship with the length of ICU stay.

Pragmatic Evaluation of a Deep-Learning Algorithm to Automate Ejection Fraction on Hand-Held, Point-of-Care Echocardiography in a Cardiac Surgical Operating Room

ObjectiveTest the correlation of ejection fraction (EF) estimated by a deep learning-based, automated algorithm (Auto EF) vs an EF estimated by Simpson's method. DesignProspective observational study. SettingSingle-center study at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. ParticipantsStudy participants were ≥18 years of age, scheduled to undergo valve, aortic, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), heart or lung transplant surgery. InterventionsThis non-interventional study involved acquiring apical 4 Chamber (A4C), transthoracic echocardiographic clips using Philips hand-held ultrasound device; Lumify. Measurements and Main ResultsIn the primary analysis of 54 clips, compared to the Simpson's method for EF estimation, bias was similar for Auto EF (-10.17%) and the experienced reader-estimated EF (-9.82%), but correlation was lower for Auto EF (r = 0.56) than the experienced reader-estimated EF (r = 0.80). In the secondary analyses, correlation between EF estimated by Simpson's method and Auto EF increased when applied to 27 acquisitions classified as adequate (r = 0.86) but decreased when applied to 27 acquisitions classified as inadequate (r = 0.46). ConclusionsApplied to acquisitions of adequate image quality, Auto EF produced a numerical EF estimate equivalent to Simpson's method. However, when applied to acquisitions of inadequate image quality, discrepancies arose between EF estimated by Auto EF and Simpson's method. Visual EF estimates by experienced readers correlated highly with Simpson's method in both variable and inadequate imaging conditions – emphasizing its enduring clinical utility. Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov trial identifier: NCT04943965

Comparative Evaluation of Dexmedetomidine and Magnesium Sulfate for Prevention of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgeries.

Introduction The main goal of this study is to compare the effects of dexmedetomidine and magnesium sulfate on preventing atrial fibrillation (AF) after off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries. AF is a type of irregular heartbeat that often occurs after heart surgery and can cause serious complications. We want to see which drug is more effective in reducing the risk of AF in patients who have had CABG surgeries without using a heart-lung machine. Materials and methods This was a randomized clinical study, conducted on patients of ASA classes III and IV who were the candidates for off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgeries, which were conducted in the cardiac operating room from the periodOctober 2020 to April 2021, at the Department of Anaesthesia, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi, Meghe. All patients were aged between 30 and 85 years and with a left ventricular ejection fraction of above 40%. Results When the two groups were compared, the incidence of arrhythmias was more in group D (a group that received injection dexmedetomidine infusion), predominantly AF with an incidence of 50% more as compared to group M (a group that received injection magnesium sulfate infusion). When hemodynamic parameters were compared, events of bradycardiaand hypotension were significantly higher in group Das compared to group M. The heart rate (HR), when compared between the two groups intraoperatively from the duration before induction of anesthesia till during sternum closure, has a significant p-value (0.0001). Similarly, when the mean arterial pressure (MAP) was compared between the two groups intraoperatively, significant hypotension was noted in group D (p-value = 0.0001). Postoperatively, in the intensive care unit when the HR and MAP were compared for 48 hours, bradycardia and hypotension were noted, but drastic changes in the mean values of the HR and MAP were not seen in both groups D and M. Conclusion When comparing the antiarrhythmic properties of the study drugs, it was observed that intraoperative and postoperative arrhythmias were less with magnesium sulfate as compared with dexmedetomidine. It was also found that there were higher events of hypotension and bradycardia in the dexmedetomidine group as compared to the magnesium sulfate group.

A role for ultra-high resolution three-dimensional printed human heart models.

Echocardiography is essential for diagnosing and assessing the severity of perioperative structural and functional heart disease. Yet, educational opportunities to better understand echocardiography-based cardiac anatomy remain limited by the two-dimensional display, lack of anatomic details, variability of heart models, and costs and global access of training. We performed micro computed tomography of human heart specimens not suitable for orthotopic transplantation. We created high-resolution computational 3D models of different human hearts, sliced them in the different recommended American Society of Echocardiography views, and 3D printed them using different materials. We scanned, 3D modeled, and 3D printed a variety of human hearts both healthy and diseased. We have made the models available in the cardiac operating rooms and routinely use them for teaching anesthesia residents and cardiothoracic anesthesia fellows about basic and advanced echocardiographic views, cardiopulmonary bypass cannulation strategies, and valvular pathology and planned interventions. We have generated a library of 3D printed hearts to display the recommended echocardiographic views as a unique educational tool designed to safely accelerate the understanding of absolute and relative human cardiac anatomy and pathology, especially related to gaining advanced appreciation of clinically employed perioperative echocardiography.

A single-center experience with microbiologic surveillance of LivaNova 3T heater-cooler devices (HCDs)

Background: The global outbreak of Mycobacterium chimaera infections associated with HCDs resulted in new maintenance recommendations. Since 2018, HCDs have been disinfected according to instructions for use (IFU), including twice-monthly bleach disinfection and monitoring hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to maintain a minimum daily concentration of 100 ppm. In February 2020, the IFU added the recommendation to perform microbiologic surveillance of HCD tank water to ensure effectiveness of disinfection to levels of &lt;1 colony forming unit per milliliter (CFU/mL) of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM). We report our experience with this microbiologic surveillance as well as that of culturing the HCD environment to investigate modes of transmission. Methods: In 2022, we began culturing tank water in 10 HCDs for NTM. For a subset of 6 HCDs, quantitative NTM culturing of tank water before and after bleach disinfection was done. After initial results indicated widespread-contamination of HCDs with M. chimaera, we performed fill water cultures from 5 sinks in 4 HCD maintenance rooms. We also conducted 20 two-hour NTM settle-plate cultures of a cardiac operating room (OR) at different sites both inside (n = 7) and outside (n = 3) the OR: 10 with the HCD (located outside the OR) turned off (controls) and 10 with HCD turned on (exposure). A paired t test was used to evaluate differences in mean recovery of NTM in tank water samples. Results: Cultures from 7 (70%) of 10 HCDs were positive, with a mean of 13.6 CFU/mL M. chimaera (Table 1). There was no significant difference between the 10 pairs of pre- and postdisinfection NTM cultures done according to the IFU from 6 HCDs: mean predisinfection cultures (15.5 CFU/mL) versus mean postdisinfection cultures (12 CFU/mL) (P = .90) (Table 2). For fill water, 1 of 7 sink samples in 1 of 4 rooms was positive for M. chimaera ( &lt;1 CFU/mL) from a specimen from a fresh 0.2-µm filter that had been stored in the fill-sink splash zone. OR settle-plate cultures showed 0 (0%) of 10 control sites and 1 (10 %) of 10 exposure sites inside the OR positive for NTM, with a single CFU of M. avium–intracellulare complex. Conclusions: Our data cannot clearly refute either of 2 possible scenarios for HCD contamination: cross contamination during device maintenance versus at the point of manufacture. Despite the IFU guidance or disinfection being implemented, disinfection procedures failed to suppress NTM contamination, and tank water within most HCDs was contaminated with M. chimaera regardless of age or whether it was deep cleaned or upgraded with an aerosol containment device.Disclosures: None

A Primer for Students Regarding the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Operating Room Basics: Primer 5 of 7

A Primer for Students Regarding the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Operating Room Basics: Primer 5 of 7

Del Nido Cardioplegia in Adult Cardiac Surgery: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

To compare the outcomes of patients receiving del Nido solution versus any other type of cardioplegia. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Cardiac operating rooms. Adult patients (≥18 years old) undergoing cardiac surgery. The EMBASE, MEDLINE, and CENTRAL databases were searched systematically from their inception until August 2022 for randomized controlled trials comparing del Nido versus other cardioplegias. Ten studies were included, including 1,812 patients (871 in the del Nido group and 941 in the control group), and published after 2017. There were significant reductions in postoperative stroke and/or transient ischemic attack rate in the del Nido group: 9/467 (1.9%) v 25/540 (4.6%); odds ratio (OR), 0.43; 95% CI, 0.20-0.92 (p=0.007). Del Nido cardioplegia was also associated with significantly shorter aortic cross-clamp time (mean difference, -8.99 minutes; 95% CI, -17.24 to -0.73 [p < 0.001]), significantly reduced need for defibrillation (89/582 [15%] v 252/655 [38%]; OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.15-0.72 [p < 0.001]), significantly lower risk of postoperative acute kidney injury (21/235 [8.9%] v 34/301 [11%]; OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.26-0.97 [p=0.04]), with no effect on mortality (14/607 [2.3%] v 12/681 [1.8%]; p=0.5). According to the authors' meta-analysis of recent randomized clinical trials, del Nido is a safe cardioplegic solution, which might provide better organ protection in adult cardiac surgery without differences in mortality when compared to other cardioplegic solutions.

Using Digital Biomarkers for Objective Assessment of Perfusionists' Workload and Acute Stress During Cardiac Surgery.

The cardiac operating room (OR) is a high-risk, high-stakes environment inserted into a complex socio-technical healthcare system. During cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the most critical phase of cardiac surgery, the perfusionist has a crucial role within the interprofessional OR team, being responsible for optimizing patient perfusion while coordinating other tasks with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses. The aim of this study was to investigate objective digital biomarkers of perfusionists' workload and stress derived from heart rate variability (HRV) metrics captured via a wearable physiological sensor in a real cardiac OR. We explored the relationships between several HRV parameters and validated self-report measures of surgical task workload (SURG-TLX) and acute stress (STAI-SF), as well as surgical processes and outcome measures. We found that the frequency-domain HRV parameter HF relative power - FFT (%) presented the strongest association with task workload (correlation coefficient: -0.491, p-value: 0.003). We also found that the time-domain HRV parameter RMSSD (ms) presented the strongest correlation with perfusionists' acute stress (correlation coefficient: -0.489, p-value: 0.005). A few workload and stress biomarkers were also associated with bypass time and patient length of stay in the hospital. The findings from this study will inform future research regarding which HRV-based biomarkers are best suited for the development of cognitive support systems capable of monitoring surgical workload and stress in real time.

Coronary Artery Air Embolism in the Non-operating room Anesthesia Setting.

Coronary artery air embolism is a rare complication in the non–operating room anesthesia environment. In this setting, coronary artery air embolism is generally caused by communication between the atmosphere and the pulmonary venous system or by the creation of a bronchial-venous or alveolar-venous fistula during lung biopsy.1 Typical presentation is a result of the ensuing myocardial ischemia, and includes chest pain, arrhythmia, ST segment changes, bradycardia, hypotension, and cardiovascular collapse.2Figure 1 represents the intraprocedural computed tomography imaging of a 74-year-old woman who underwent percutaneous lung biopsy. Clearly visible is the air-fluid level in the ascending aorta, just distal to the right coronary artery ostia. Figure 2 shows air in the proximal right coronary artery. This patient’s procedural course was complicated by profound bradycardia, arrhythmia, and cardiogenic shock secondary to acute myocardial ischemia.Risk of coronary artery air embolism is underappreciated outside the cardiac operating room; thus, the anesthesiologist must maintain a high degree of suspicion and closely monitor the electrocardiogram for change. Risk factors include coughing, positive pressure ventilation, biopsy of cavitary lesions, and use of needle-within-needle biopsy systems.3 In supine patients, the right ventricle is particularly vulnerable to coronary artery air embolism secondary to the anterior takeoff of the right coronary. Treatment involves immediate Trendelenburg positioning to prevent cerebral air embolism, an inspiratory oxygen fraction of 1.0, central access, and catecholamine support of cardiac function and coronary perfusion pressure. Transcutaneous or transvenous pacing, as well as coronary angiography, aspiration, and localized vasodilator injection have also been trialed successfully in the catheterization laboratory.3 Finally, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or cardiac bypass may be indicated if other measures fail.Support was provided solely from institutional and/or departmental sources.The authors declare no competing interests.

Evaluation of Mitral-Aortic Flow Velocity Integral Ratio as a Tool to Differentiate Between Severe and Nonsevere Mitral Regurgitation

To evaluate mitral-aortic flow velocity integral ratio (MAVIR) as an echocardiographic tool to differentiate between severe and nonsevere mitral regurgitation (MR), compared with regurgitant volume (RVol) and effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA), with subgroup analysis in patients with calcific mitral valve, both by transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal (TEE) echocardiography. Also, whether MAVIR can be used as a screening tool for severe MR. Prospective, cross-sectional, observational. Cardiac operating room of a tertiary-care hospital. One hundred adult patients with chronic mitral regurgitation with at least mild MR by two-dimensional Doppler and with absence of mitral stenosis, aortic valve disease, and rhythm other than sinus scheduled for cardiac surgery. The subgroup (n=24) consisted specifically of patients with a calcific mitral valve. Preinduction TTE and postinduction TEE in the operating room. MAVIR, RVol, and EROA were measured in all patients both by TTE and TEE. Cohen's kappa statistics was employed to quantify concordance among RVol, EROA, and MAVIR. Diagnostic indices of MAVIR toward diagnosis of severe MR also were quantified. The results showed a strong agreement, in differentiating severe from nonsevere MR, between MAVIR and both RVol and EROA in the whole cohort (n=100) and the subgroup (n=24), both by TTE and TEE. Diagnostic indices were high for MAVIR compared with RVol and EROA in detecting severe MR, both by TTE and TEE. MAVIR may be used as an echocardiographic tool to differentiate between severe and nonsevere MR, even in patients with calcific valves. It also can be used to screen patients for severe MR.

Comparison of Nebulized Versus Intravenous Milrinone on Reducing Pulmonary Arterial Pressure in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Candidate for Open-cardiac Surgery: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Regardless of the cause, pulmonary hypertension can increase patient complications and mortality. This study compared the effect of nebulized versus intravenous (IV) milrinone on reducing pulmonary arterial pressure in patients with pulmonary hypertension candidates for open-cardiac surgery. This double-blind, randomized clinical trial was performed on 32 patients undergoing elective on-pump cardiac surgery during January 2021-January 2022 in the Cardiac Operating Room of Golestan Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran. Patients were randomly divided into test groups nebulize milrinone (N = 16) and IV milrinone (N = 16). The medication was administered after the cross-clamp of the aorta opening. The outcome variables included hemodynamic data, cardiac output, cardiac index, stroke volume, mean arterial pressure (MAP), central venous pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary vascular resistance, MAP/mPAP ratio, time until extubation, duration of hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and duration of hospital stay. In the nebulized group, MAP and MAP/mPAP were significantly higher than in the IV milrinone group (P = 0.09 and P < 0.0001, respectively). The time of extubation (P = 0.001), duration of hospitalization in the ICU (P = 0.009), and duration of hospital stay (P = 0.026) in the nebulized milrinone group were significantly shorter than in the IV milrinone group. Nebulized milrinone administration before weaning off cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can be accelerated and facilitate weaning off CPB. Moreover, despite maintaining MAP, nebulized milrinone significantly reduces mPAP. According to the results of this study, nebulized milrinone is recommended in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with pulmonary hypertension.

Cardiac Redo operation, complication rate and risk predictors, a cross sectional study

Background: Considering the effect of heart disease and its post-surgical complications on the patient's quality of life, identifying risk predictors for complications after surgery and the patient's clinical course can help us to improve the quality of primary care after surgery, reduce complications and improve the patient's recovery after surgery. This study aims to determine postoperative complication prevalence and related risk predictors. Material and methods: In this cross-sectional study, the clinical course after cardiac reoperation of patients in the cardiac operating room of Imam Khomeini Hospital during the years 2014-2021was studied. Patients who have had a stroke in the past six months, heart failure, and EF less than 25% were excluded from the study. This study investigates the relationship between preoperative and intraoperative conditions of patients (age, sex, hemoglobin, serum creatinine, blood product transfusion, and pump time) and postoperative complications (death, AKI, bleeding, CVA, and pulmonary complication. Results: This study examined 461 cardiac reoperation patients with a mean age (44.54±18.35). The most common complications were bleeding (8.24%), death (8.2%), and AKI (19.65$), respectively. In this study, there was a significant difference in terms of age, hemoglobin level, creatinine level, pump time, and blood product transfusion in patients faced with death and AKI compared to uncomplicated patients. Patients with postoperative bleeding received more blood products and had a longer pump time than uncomplicated patients, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: In this study, there was a significant difference between deceased and uncomplicated patients after cardiac reoperation in terms of age, anemia, pre operative renal failure, and receiving more blood products during surgery. This difference, however, does not necessarily create a causal relationship; but suggests some risk predictors for redo cardiac surgery.

Mitral Annulus Geometry and Dynamic Motion Changes in Patients With Aortic Regurgitation: A Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiographic Study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mitral annulus (MA) geometry and dynamic motion changes in patients with aortic regurgitation (AR) before and after aortic valve replacement (AVR). Moreover, the difference in the effect of the type of prosthetic aortic valve on MA was compared. Prospective observational study. Cardiac operating room at a single hospital. Eighty-two patients with isolated moderate-to-severe AR who underwent AVR. Forty patients with normal valves were enrolled as controls. None. The MA geometry and dynamic motion throughout the cardiac cycle were evaluated semiautomatically by three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. The severity of functional mitral regurgitation was intraoperatively evaluated. All patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the type of prosthetic valve (mechanical valve and bioprosthetic valve groups). Before AVR, compared with the control group without AR, the AR group demonstrated larger MA dimensions and the MA geometry was flatter. The contraction fraction of the MA area, perimeter, and height during the whole cardiac cycle were larger in the AR group (p < 0.05 for all). After AVR, most MA geometric and dynamic parameters decreased and functional mitral regurgitation also improved. In the postoperative subset analyses, the mechanical valve group showed a larger contraction fraction of the MA area and perimeter than the bioprosthetic valve group (p < 0.05 for both). The MA geometry and dynamic motion changed markedly in patients with AR. These spatial and dynamic changes were restored to a certain extent after surgical correction of the aortic valve. However, the effects produced by mechanical and bioprosthetic valves on MA were different.

453 Efficacy of the Insulin Infusion Calculator Protocol in the Optimization of Perioperative Blood Glucose Levels in the Cardiac Surgical Patients at UAB

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Insulin dosing is crucial for regulating blood glucose in cardiac surgery patients, yet it requires the use of cumbersome insulin dosing charts. To streamline this process, an electronic insulin calculator (IC) is trialed in the cardiac operating rooms and intensive care unit. This study compares glycemic control prior to and after institution of IC. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using the EHR, a retrospective population of 3,164 cardiac surgery patient charts from 12/19/19 - 11/06/20 were obtained. Baseline, intra-operative, and ICU blood glucose values were obtained from each patients admission. Using this data, a baseline level of glycemic control throughout a cardiac surgery patients stay was established. A preliminary cohort of 244 patients were then chosen to be managed with the new IC. Baseline, intra-operative, and ICU blood glucose values were obtained in this group for comparison. Paired t tests were used to compare the IC group of patients to the retrospective group of patients. Additional subgroup analysis was performed to assess IC efficacy for on pump vs off pump cardiac surgeries. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The 244 patients managed with the IC showed significantly reduced average blood glucose values during their time in the ICU compared to those previously not managed with the IC (185 mg% vs 153 mg%, p= 0.02). Additionally, a trend towards a reduction in last operating room blood glucose level was also noted. Lastly, average blood glucose levels were significantly reduced for patients undergoing on pump cardiac surgeries compared to off pump surgeries (157 mg% vs 149 mg%, p = 0.03). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Preliminary results suggest IIC to be associated with better intra and postoperative blood glucose control. More data is being collected to test its association with outcomes.

Patient blood management in critically ill children undergoing cardiac surgery: A cohort study

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to audit current patient blood management practice in children throughout cardiac surgery and paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. DesignThis was a prospective observational cohort study. SettingThis was a single-centre study in the cardiac operating room (OR) and PICU in a major tertiary children's hospital in Australia. PatientsChildren undergoing corrective cardiac surgery and requiring admission to PICU for postoperative recovery were included in the study. Measurements and main resultsFifty-six patients and 1779 blood sampling episodes were audited over a 7-month period. The median age was 9 months (interquartile range [IQR] = 1–102), with the majority (n = 30 [54%]) younger than 12 months. The median number of blood sampling episodes per patient per day was 6.6 (IQR = 5.8–8.0) in total, with a median of 5.0 (IQR = 4.0–7.5) episodes in the OR and 5.0 (IQR = 3.4–6.2) episodes per day throughout PICU admission. The most common reason for blood tests across both OR and PICU settings was arterial blood gas analysis (total median = 86%, IQR = 79–96). The overall median blood sampling volume per kg of bodyweight, patient, and day was 0.63 mL (IQR = 0.20–1.14) in total. Median blood loss for each patient was 3.5 mL/kg per patient per day (IQR = 1.7–5.6) with negligible amounts in the OR and a median of 3.6 mL/kg (IQR = 1.7–5.7) in the PICU. The median Cell Saver® transfusion volume was 9.9 mL/kg per patient per day (IQR = 4.0–19.1) in the OR. The overall median volume of other infusion products (albumin 4%, albumin 20%, packed red blood cells) received by each patient was 20.1 mL/kg (IQR = 10.7–36.4) per day. Sampling events and blood loss were positively associated with PICU stay. ConclusionsPatient blood management practices observed in this study largely conform to National Blood Authority guidelines. Further implementation projects and research are needed to accelerate implementation of known effective blood conservation strategies within paediatric critical care environments.

The Practice of Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology in the United States.

With advances in surgical and catheter-based interventions and technologies in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), the practice of pediatric cardiac anesthesiology has evolved in parallel with pediatric cardiac surgery and pediatric cardiology as a distinct subspecialty over the past 80 years. To date, there has not been an analysis of the distribution of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists relative to cardiac and noncardiac procedures in the pediatric population. The primary aim is to report the results of a survey and its subsequent analysis to describe the distribution of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists relative to pediatric cardiac procedures that include surgical interventions, cardiac catheterization procedures, imaging studies (echocardiography, magnetic resonance, computed tomography, positron emission tomography), and noncardiac procedures. A survey developed in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDcap) was sent to the identifiable division chiefs/cardiac directors of 113 pediatric cardiac anesthesia programs in the United States. Data regarding cardiac surgical patients and procedures were collected from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (STS-CHD). This analysis reveals that only 38% (117 of 307) of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists caring for patients with CHD pursued additional training in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology, while 44% (136 of 307) have gained experience during their clinical practice. Other providers have pursued different training pathways such as adult cardiac anesthesiology or pediatric critical care. Based on this survey, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists devote 35% (interquartile range [IQR], 20%-50%) of clinical time to the care of patients in the cardiac operating room, 25% (20%-35%) of time to the care of patients in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, 10% (5%-10%) to patient care in imaging locations, and 15% covering general pediatric, adult, or cardiac patients undergoing noncardiac procedures. Attempts to actively recruit pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists were reported by 49.2% (29 of 59) of the institutions surveyed. Impending retirement of staff was anticipated in 17% (10 of 59) of the institutions, while loss of staff to relocation was anticipated in 3.4% (2 of 59) of institutions. Thirty-seven percent of institutions reported that they anticipated no immediate changes in current staffing levels. The majority of currently practicing pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists have not completed a fellowship training in the subspecialty. There is, and will continue to be, a need for subspecialty training to meet increasing demand for services especially with increase survival of this patient population and to replace retiring members of the workforce.

A Coding Framework for Usability Evaluation of Digital Health Technologies.

Several studies have reported low adherence and high resistance from clinicians to adopt digital health technologies into clinical practice, particularly the use of computer-based clinical decision support systems. Poor usability and lack of integration with the clinical workflow have been identified as primary issues. Few guidelines exist on how to analyze the collected data associated with the usability of digital health technologies. In this study, we aimed to develop a coding framework for the systematic evaluation of users' feedback generated during focus groups and interview sessions with clinicians, underpinned by fundamental usability principles and design components. This codebook also included a coding category to capture the user's clinical role associated with each specific piece of feedback, providing a better understanding of role-specific challenges and perspectives, as well as the level of shared understanding across the multiple clinical roles. Furthermore, a voting system was created to quantitatively inform modifications of the digital system based on usability data. As a use case, we applied this method to an electronic cognitive aid designed to improve coordination and communication in the cardiac operating room, showing that this framework is feasible and useful not only to better understand suboptimal usability aspects, but also to recommend relevant modifications in the design and development of the system from different perspectives, including clinical, technical, and usability teams. The framework described herein may be applied in other highly complex clinical settings, in which digital health systems may play an important role in improving patient care and enhancing patient safety.

Impact of surgeon and anaesthesiologist sex on patient outcomes after cardiac surgery: a population-based study

BackgroundEffective teamwork between anaesthesiologists and surgeons is essential for optimising patient safety in the cardiac operating room. While many factors may influence the relationship between these two physicians, the role...