Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2023
Does Anesthesia Quality Improvement Participation Lead to Incremental Savings in a Surgical Quality Collaborative Population? A Retrospective Observational Study.
The Anesthesiology Performance Improvement and Reporting Exchange (ASPIRE) Collaborative Quality Initiative (CQI) was launched as a partnership among hospitals to measure quality, review evidence-based practices, and improve anesthesia-related outcomes. Cost savings and improved patient outcomes have been associated with surgical CQI participation, but the impact of an anesthesia CQI on health care cost has not been thoroughly assessed. In this study, we evaluated whether participation in an anesthesia CQI led to health care savings. We hypothesized that ASPIRE participation is associated with reduced total episode payments for payers and major, high-volume procedures included in the Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) registry. ⋯ Participation in an anesthesiology CQI, ASPIRE, is associated with lower total episode payments for selected major, high-volume procedures. This analysis supports that participation in an anesthesia CQI can lead to reduced health care payments.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2023
Postanesthesia Care Unit Recovery Time According to Volatile Anesthetic Used in Clinical Practice.
Whether volatile anesthetic solubility affects postanesthesia recovery time in clinical practice is unclear. We investigated the association among 3 volatile agents and 2 clinically relevant outcomes-postanesthesia care unit (PACU) recovery time (time from PACU admission to fulfillment of discharge criteria) and oversedation (Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score ≤-3)-as a potential contributor to delaying PACU discharge. The volatile agents studied were isoflurane, desflurane, and sevoflurane. We hypothesized that increased solubility of the volatile agent (isoflurane versus desflurane or sevoflurane) would be associated with longer PACU recovery time and higher rates of oversedation. ⋯ In clinical practice, only small, clinically unimportant differences in PACU recovery time were observed between the volatile anesthetics. Although oversedation was associated with increased PACU recovery time, differences in the rate of oversedation among agents were insufficient to produce meaningful differences in overall PACU recovery time across the 3 volatile agents. Practical attempts to decrease PACU recovery time should address factors other than volatile agent selection.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2023
Hyperoxia Increases Kidney Injury During Renal Ischemia and Reperfusion in Mice.
Renal ischemia and reperfusion (IR) contribute to perioperative acute kidney injury, and oxygen is a key regulator of this process. We hypothesized that oxygen administration during surgery and renal IR would impact postoperative kidney function and injury in mice. ⋯ In this controlled preclinical study of oxygen treatment during renal IR surgery, hyperoxia and hypoxia impaired renal function, increased renal injury, and impacted expression of genes that affect mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant response. These results might have implications for patients during surgery when high concentrations of oxygen are frequently administered, especially in cases involving renal IR.
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Profound racial and ethnic disparities have been documented in health and health care outcomes in recent decades. Some researchers have erroneously ascribed these inequities to biological variations, prompting debate as to how, or even if, race and ethnicity should be included as an outcome variable. ⋯ Color consciousness, in contrast, approaches disparities with the knowledge that experiences related to one's race and ethnicity influence an individual's health and well-being. In this Pro-Con commentary article, we discuss the concept of color blindness and debate its use as an approach in medicine and research.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2023
Associations Between Fresh Gas Flow and Duration of Anesthetic on the Maximum Potential Benefit of Anesthetic Gas Capture in Operating Rooms and in Postanesthesia Care Units to Capture Waste Anesthetic Gas.
Sevoflurane and desflurane are halogenated hydrocarbons with global warming potential. We examined the maximum potential benefit assuming 100% efficiency of waste gas capture technology used in operating rooms and recovery locations. ⋯ Simulations with Gas Man show a strong rationale based on agent uptake and distribution for using volatile anesthetic agent capture in operating rooms if the technology can be highly efficient at volatile agent recovery.