Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Operating rooms (ORs) are resource-intense and costly hospital units. Maximizing OR efficiency is essential to maintaining an economically viable institution. OR efficiency projects often focus on a limited number of ORs or cases. Efforts across an entire OR suite have not been reported. Lean and Six Sigma methodologies were developed in the manufacturing industry to increase efficiency by eliminating non-value-added steps. We applied Lean and Six Sigma methodologies across an entire surgical suite to improve efficiency. ⋯ Use of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies increased OR efficiency and financial performance across an entire operating suite. Process mapping, leadership support, staff engagement, and sharing performance metrics are keys to enhancing OR efficiency. The performance gains were substantial, sustainable, positive financially, and transferrable to other specialties.
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Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability to health-related stressors and can be measured by summing the number of frailty characteristics present in an individual. Discharge institutionalization (rather than discharge to home) represents disease burden and functional dependence after hospitalization. Our aim was to determine the relationship between frailty and need for postoperative discharge institutionalization. ⋯ Nearly 1 in 3 geriatric patients required discharge to an institutional care facility after major surgery. The frailty characteristics of prolonged up-and-go and any functional dependence were most closely related to the need for discharge institutionalization. Accumulation of a higher number of frailty characteristics in any one geriatric patient increased their risk of discharge institutionalization.
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Outcomes of surgical resident training are under scrutiny with the changing milieu of surgical education. Few have investigated the effect of surgical resident involvement (SRI) on operative parameters. Examining 7 common general surgery procedures, we evaluated the effect of SRI on perioperative morbidity and mortality and operative time (OpT). ⋯ SRI has a measurable impact on both 30-day morbidity and mortality and OpT. These data have implications to the impact associated with surgical graduate medical education. Further studies to identify causes of patient morbidity and prevention strategies in surgical teaching environments are warranted.
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B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted in response to myocardial stretch and has been used clinically to assess volume overload and predict death in congestive heart failure. More recently, BNP elevation has been demonstrated with septic shock and is predictive of death. How BNP levels relate to cardiac function in sepsis remains to be established. ⋯ In surgical sepsis patients, BNP increases with sepsis severity and is associated with early systolic dysfunction, which in turn is associated with death. Monitoring BNP in early sepsis to identify occult systolic dysfunction might prompt earlier use of inotropic agents.
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Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), but physicians are cautious with chemical prophylaxis in these patients because of concern about exacerbating intracranial hemorrhage. We hypothesized that early use of chemical thromboprophylaxis would reduce VTE incidence without increasing intracranial hemorrhage. ⋯ Use of chemical thromboprophylaxis in TBI patients with a stable or improved head CT after 24 hours substantially reduces the incidence of VTE and does not increase the risk of progression of intracranial hemorrhage.