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Background: To ensure availability of hospital beds and improve COVID-19 patients' well-being during the ongoing pandemic, hospital care could be offered at home. Retrospective studies show promising results of deploying remote hospital care to reduce the number of days spent in the hospital, but the beneficial effect has yet to be established., Methods: We conducted a single centre, randomised trial from January to June 2021, including hospitalised COVID-19 patients who were in the recovery stage of the disease. Hospital care for the intervention group was transitioned to the patient's home, including oxygen therapy, medication and remote monitoring. The control group received in-hospital care as usual. The primary endpoint was the number of hospital-free days during the 30 days following randomisation. Secondary endpoints included health care consumption during the follow-up period and mortality., Results: A total of 62 patients were randomised (31 control, 31 intervention). The mean difference in hospital-free days was 1.7 (26.7 control vs. 28.4 intervention, 95% CI of difference -0.5 to 4.2, p = 0.112). In the intervention group, the index hospital length of stay was 1.6 days shorter (95% CI -2.4 to -0.8, p < 0.001), but the total duration of care under hospital responsibility was 4.1 days longer (95% CI 0.5 to 7.7, p = 0.028)., Conclusion: Remote hospital care for recovering COVID-19 patients is feasible. However, we could not demonstrate an increase in hospital-free days in the 30 days following randomisation. Optimising the intervention, timing, and identification of patients who will benefit most from remote hospital care could improve the impact of this intervention.

Purpose: Preoperative multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings are recommended for patients at high risk for perioperative complications and mortality, although the underlying evidence is scarce. We aimed to investigate the effect of MDT decisions on patient management and patient outcome., Methods: We conducted a single-centre retrospective cohort study including all noncardiac surgical patients selected for discussion at preoperative MDT meetings from January 2017 to December 2019 (N = 120). We abstracted preoperative data, MDT decisions, and patient outcomes from the electronic health records for analysis., Results: Of the 120 patients registered for an MDT meeting, 43% did not undergo their initially planned surgery. Only 27% of patients received perioperative management as planned before the MDT meeting. Most surgery cancellations were the MDT's decision (22%) or the patient's decision before or after the MDT discussion (10%). Postoperative complications occurred in 28% of operated patients, and postoperative mortality was 4% at 30 days and 10% at three months, most of which was attributable to postoperative complications. Non-operated patients had a 7% mortality rate at 30 days and 9% at three months. Alterations of perioperative management following MDT discussion were associated with fewer cases of extended length of hospital stay (> ten days)., Conclusion: This study shows that preoperative MDT meetings for high-risk noncardiac surgical patients altered the management of most patients. Management alterations were associated with fewer hospital admissions of long duration. These results should be interpreted with appropriate caution given the methodological limitations inherent to this small study., (© 2021. Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.)

Background: Thyroid storm is a feared complication in patients with hyperthyroidism undergoing surgery. We assessed the risk of thyroid storm for different preoperative treatment options for patients with primary hyperthyroidism undergoing surgery., Methods: Pubmed, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library were searched systematically for all studies reporting on adult hyperthyroid patients undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Selected studies were categorised based on preoperative treatment: no treatment, antithyroid medication (thionamides), iodine, β-blocking medication, or a combination thereof. Treatment effect, that is restoring euthyroidism, was extracted from the publications if available. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) or the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomised studies., Results: The search yielded 7009 articles, of which 26 studies published between 1975 and 2020 were selected for critical appraisal. All studies had moderate to critical risk of bias, mainly attributable to risk of confounding, classification of intervention status, and definition of the outcome. All studies reported on thyroidectomy patients. We found no randomised studies comparing the risk of thyroid storm between treated and untreated patients. Cases of thyroid storm were reported in all treatment groups with incidences described ranging from 0% to 14%., Conclusion: Evidence assessing the risk of perioperative thyroid storm is of insufficient quality. Given the seriousness of this complication and the impossibility of identifying patients at increased risk, preoperative treatment of these patients remains warranted., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Besides spinal complications, intracranial hematoma or abscess may occur after neuraxial block. Risk factors and outcome remain unclear., Objective: This review evaluates characteristics, treatment and recovery of patients with intracranial complications after neuraxial block., Evidence Review: We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library from their inception to May 2020 for case reports/series, cohort studies and reviews of intracranial hematoma or abscess associated with neuraxial block. Quality of evidence was assessed using the critical appraisal of a case study checklist by Crombie., Findings: We analyzed 232 reports, including 291 patients with hematoma and six patients with abscess/empyema. The major part of included studies comprised single case reports with a high risk of bias. Of the patients with hematoma, 48% concerned obstetric patients, the remainder received neuraxial block for various perioperative indications or pain management. Prior dural puncture was reported in 81%, either intended (eg, spinal anesthesia) or unintended (eg, complicated epidural catheter placement). Headache was described in 217 patients; in 101 patients, symptoms resembled postdural puncture headache (PDPH). After treatment, 11% had partial or no recovery and 8% died, indicating the severity of this complication. Intracranial abscess after neuraxial block is seldom reported; six reports were found., Conclusion: Diagnosis of intracranial hematoma is often missed initially, as headache is assumed to be caused by cerebrospinal hypotension due to cerebrospinal fluid leakage, known as PDPH. Prolonged headache without improvement, worsening symptoms despite treatment or epidural blood patch, change of headache from postural to non-postural or new neurological signs should alert physicians to alternative diagnoses., Competing Interests: Competing interests: MdQ: received payments for lectures from Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies. MWH: executive section editor, Pharmacology with Anesthesia & Analgesia, and section editor, Anesthesiology, with Journal of Clinical Medicine; furthermore, he served as consultant for Euro-cept BV and received honoraria for lectures from CSL Behring in the past., (© American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Knowledge of risk factors for postoperative urinary retention may guide appropriate and timely urinary catheterization. We aimed to determine independent risk factors for postoperative urinary catheterization in general surgical patients. In addition, we calculated bladder filling rate and assessed the time to spontaneous voiding or catheterization. We used the patients previously determined individual maximum bladder capacity as threshold for urinary catheterization., Methods: Risk factors for urinary catheterization were prospectively determined in 936 general surgical patients. Patients were at least 18 years of age and operated under general or spinal anesthesia without the need for an indwelling urinary catheter. Patients measured their maximum bladder capacity preoperatively at home, by voiding in a calibrated bowl after a strong urge that could no longer be ignored. Postoperatively, bladder volumes were assessed hourly with ultrasound. When patients reached their maximum bladder capacity and were unable to void, they were catheterized by the nursing staff. Bladder filling rate and time to catheterization were determined., Results: Spinal anesthesia was the main independent modifiable risk factor for urinary catheterization (hyperbaric bupivacaine, relative risk 8.1, articaine RR 3.1). Unmodifiable risk factors were a maximum bladder capacity < 500 mL (RR 6.7), duration of surgery ≥ 60 min (RR 5.5), first scanned bladder volume at the Post Anesthesia Care Unit ≥250mL (RR 2.1), and age ≥ 60 years (RR 2.0). Urine production varied from 100 to 200 mL/h. Catheterization or spontaneous voiding took place approximately 4 h postoperatively., Conclusion: Spinal anesthesia, longer surgery time, and older age are the main risk factors for urinary retention catheterization. Awareness of these risk factors, regularly bladder volume scanning (at least every 3 h) and using the individual maximum bladder capacity as volume threshold for urinary catheterization may avoid unnecessary urinary catheterization and will prevent bladder overdistention with the attendant risk of lower urinary tract injury., Trial Registration: Dutch Central Committee for Human Studies registered trial database: NL 21058.099.07. Current Controlled Trials database: Preventing Bladder Catheterization after an Operation under General or Spinal Anesthesia by Using the Patient's Own Maximum Bladder Capacity as a Limit for Maximum Bladder Volume. ISRCTN97786497 . Registered 18 July 2011 -Retrospectively registered. The original study started 19 May 2008, and ended 30 April 2009, when the last patient was included.

Background: Hospital stays after major surgery are shorter than ever before. Although enhanced recovery and early discharge have many benefits, some complications will now first manifest themselves in home settings. Remote patient monitoring with wearable sensors in the first days after hospital discharge may capture clinical deterioration earlier but is largely uncharted territory., Objective: This study aimed to assess the technical feasibility of patients, discharged after esophagectomy, being remotely monitored at home with a wireless patch sensor and the experiences of these patients. In addition, we determined whether observing vital signs with a wireless patch sensor influences clinical decision making., Methods: In an observational feasibility study, vital signs of patients were monitored with a wearable patch sensor (VitalPatch, VitalConnect Inc) during the first 7 days at home after esophagectomy and discharge from hospital. Vital signs trends were shared with the surgical team once a day, and they were asked to check the patient's condition by phone each morning. Patient experiences were evaluated with a questionnaire, and technical feasibility was analyzed on a daily basis as the percentage of data loss and gap durations. In addition, the number of patients for whom a change in clinical decision was made based on the results of remote vital signs monitoring at home was assessed., Results: Patients (N=20) completed 7 days each of home monitoring with the wearable patch sensor. Each of the patients had good recovery at home, and remotely observed vital signs trends did not alter clinical decision making. Patients appreciated that surgeons checked their vital signs daily (mean 4.4/5) and were happy to be called by the surgical team each day (mean 4.5/5). Wearability of the patch was high (mean 4.4/5), and no reports of skin irritation were mentioned. Overall data loss of vital signs measurements at home was 25%; both data loss and gap duration varied considerably among patients., Conclusions: Remote monitoring of vital signs combined with telephone support from the surgical team was feasible and well perceived by all patients. Future studies need to evaluate the impact of home monitoring on patient outcome as well as the cost-effectiveness of this new approach., (©Martine J M Breteler, Lieke Numan, Jelle P Ruurda, Richard van Hillegersberg, Sylvia van der Horst, Daan A J Dohmen, Mathilde C van Rossum, Cor J Kalkman. Originally published in JMIR Perioperative Medicine (http://periop.jmir.org), 04.12.2020.)

Background: Patients undergoing cerebral bypass surgery are prone to cerebral hypoperfusion. Currently, arterial blood pressure is often increased with vasopressors to prevent cerebral ischaemia. However, this might cause vasoconstriction of the graft and cerebral vasculature and decrease perfusion. We hypothesised that cardiac output, rather than arterial blood pressure, is essential for adequate perfusion and aimed to determine whether dobutamine administration resulted in greater graft perfusion than phenylephrine administration., Methods: This randomised crossover study included 10 adult patients undergoing cerebral bypass surgery. Intraoperatively, patients randomly and sequentially received dobutamine to increase cardiac index or phenylephrine to increase mean arterial pressure (MAP). An increase of >10% in cardiac index or >10% in MAP was targeted, respectively. Before both interventions, a reference phase was implemented. The primary outcome was the absolute difference in graft flow between the reference and intervention phase. We compared the absolute flow difference between each intervention and constructed a random-effect linear regression model to explore treatment and carry-over effects., Results: Graft flow increased with a median of 4.1 (inter-quartile range [IQR], 1.7-12.0] ml min -1 ) after dobutamine administration and 3.6 [IQR, 1.3-7.8] ml min -1 after phenylephrine administration (difference -0.6 ml min -1 ; 95% confidence interval [CI], -14.5 to 5.3; P=0.441). There was no treatment effect (0.9 ml min -1 ; 95% CI, 0.0-20.1; P=0.944) and no carry-over effect., Conclusions: Both dobutamine and phenylephrine increased graft flow during cerebral bypass surgery, without a preference for one method over the other., Clinical Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Register, NL7077 (https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7077)., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Severe complications after neuraxial anaesthesia are rare but potentially devastating., Objective: We aimed to identify characteristics and preventable causes of haematoma, abscess or meningitis after neuraxial anaesthesia., Design: Observational study, closed claims analysis., Setting: Closed anaesthesia malpractice claims from the USA and the Netherlands were examined from 2007 until 2017., Patients: Claims of patients with haematoma (n = 41), abscess (n = 18) or meningitis (n = 14) associated with neuraxial anaesthesia for labour, acute and chronic pain that initiated and closed between 2007 and 2017 were included. There were no exclusions., Main Outcome Measures: We analysed potential preventable causes in patient-related, neuraxial procedure-related, treatment-related and legal characteristics of these complications., Results: Patients experiencing spinal haematoma were predominantly above 60 years of age and using antihaemostatic medication, whereas patients with abscess or meningitis were middle-aged, relatively healthy and more often involved in emergency interventions. Potential preventable causes of unfavourable sequelae constituted errors in timing/prescription of antihaemostatic medication (10 claims, 14%), unsterile procedures (n = 10, 14%) and delay in diagnosis/treatment of the complication (n = 18, 25%). The number of claims resulting in payment was similar between countries (USA n = 15, 38% vs. the Netherlands n = 17, 52%; P = 0.25). The median indemnity payment, which the patient received varied widely between the USA (&OV0556;285 488, n = 14) and the Netherlands (&OV0556;31 031, n = 17) (P = 0.004). However, the considerable differences in legal systems and administration of expenses between countries may make meaningful comparison of indemnity payments inappropriate., Conclusions: Claims of spinal haematoma were often related to errors in antihaemostatic medication and delay in diagnosis and/or treatment. Spinal abscess claims were related to emergency interventions and lack of sterility. We wish to highlight these potential preventable causes, both when performing the neuraxial procedure and during postprocedural care of patients.

: Patient safety is an activity to mitigate preventable patient harm that may occur during the delivery of medical care. The European Board of Anaesthesiology (EBA)/European Union of Medical Specialists had previously published safety recommendations on minimal monitoring and postanaesthesia care, but with the growing public and professional interest it was decided to produce a much more encompassing document. The EBA and the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) published a consensus on what needs to be done/achieved for improvement of peri-operative patient safety. During the Euroanaesthesia meeting in Helsinki/Finland in 2010, this vision was presented to anaesthesiologists, patients, industry and others involved in health care as the 'Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anaesthesiology'. In May/June 2020, ESA and EBA are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anaesthesiology; a good opportunity to look back and forward evaluating what was achieved in the recent 10 years, and what needs to be done in the upcoming years. The Patient Safety and Quality Committee (PSQC) of ESA invited experts in their fields to contribute, and these experts addressed their topic in different ways; there are classical, narrative reviews, more systematic reviews, political statements, personal opinions and also original data presentation. With this publication we hope to further stimulate implementation of the Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anaesthesiology, as well as initiating relevant research in the future.

Main Outcome: Thirty patients (60%) found it satisfying or very satisfying to communicate their pain with the app. Pain experienced after surgery was scored by patients as 'no': 3 (6%), 'little': 5 (10%), 'bearable': 25 (50%), 'considerable': 13 (26%) and 'severe': 1 (2%). Forty-five patients (90%) were positive about the ease of recording. Forty-five patients (90%) could correctly record their pain with the app. Thirty-eight patients (76%) agreed that in-app notifications to record pain were useful. Two patients (4%) were too ill to use the application. Based on usability feedback, we will redesign the pain intensity wheel and the in-app pain chart to improve clarity for patients to understand the course of their pain., Secondary Outcomes: The median patient recorded pain app score 4.0 (range 0 to 10) and nurse recorded numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain NRS 4.0 (range 0 to 9) were not statistically different (p = 0.06). Forty-two percent from a total of 307 patient pain app scores were ≥ 5 (on a scale from 0 no pain at all to 10 worst imaginable pain). Of these, 83% were recorded as 'bearable' while only in 18% of the recordings patients asked for additional analgesia. The results suggest that self-recording the severity of postoperative pain by patients with a smartphone application could be useful for postoperative pain management. The application was perceived as user-friendly and had high satisfaction rates from both patients and stakeholders. Further research is needed to validate the 11-point numeric and faces pain scale with the current gold standards visual analogue scale (VAS) and NRS for pain., Competing Interests: We have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: Rover A.A.M. van Mierlo is employee at Logicapps the company that built the application commissioned by OLVG. OLVG and Logicapps have no commercial interest in the application. The application is available free of charge for patients. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Background: Adverse events are common in high-risk surgical patients, but early detection is difficult. Recent innovations have resulted in wireless and 'wearable' sensors, which may capture patient deterioration at an early stage, but little is known regarding their ability to timely detect events. The objective of this study is to describe the ability of currently available wireless sensors to detect adverse events in high-risk patients., Methods: A descriptive analysis was performed of all vital signs trend data obtained during an observational comparison study of wearable sensors for vital signs monitoring in high-risk surgical patients during the initial days of recovery at a surgical step-down unit (SDU) and subsequent traumatology or surgical oncology ward. Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) were continuously recorded. Vital sign trend patterns of patients that developed adverse events were described and compared to vital sign recordings of patients without occurrence of adverse events. Two wearable patch sensors were used (SensiumVitals and HealthPatch), a bed-based mattress sensor (EarlySense) and a patient-worn monitor (Masimo Radius-7)., Results: Twenty adverse events occurred in 11 of the 31 patients included. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was most common (20%). The onset of AF was recognizable as a sudden increase in HR in all recordings, and all patients with new-onset AF after esophagectomy developed other postoperative complications. Patients who developed respiratory insufficiency showed an increase in RR and a decrease in SpO 2 , but an increase in HR was not always visible. In patients without adverse events, temporary periods of high HR and RR are observed as well, but these were transient and less frequent., Conclusions: Current systems for remote wireless patient monitoring on the ward are capable of detecting abnormalities in vital sign patterns in patients who develop adverse events. Remote patient monitoring may have potential to improve patient safety by generating early warnings for deterioration to nursing staff., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interest MJMB is part-time employee of Luscii Healthtech BV (Health ICT company, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Vital signs are usually recorded once every 8 h in patients at the hospital ward. Early signs of deterioration may therefore be missed. Wireless sensors have been developed that may capture patient deterioration earlier. The objective of this study was to determine whether two wearable patch sensors (SensiumVitals [Sensium Healthcare Ltd., United Kingdom] and HealthPatch [VitalConnect, USA]), a bed-based system (EarlySense [EarlySense Ltd., Israel]), and a patient-worn monitor (Masimo Radius-7 [Masimo Corporation, USA]) can reliably measure heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) continuously in patients recovering from major surgery., Methods: In an observational method comparison study, HR and RR of high-risk surgical patients admitted to a step-down unit were simultaneously recorded with the devices under test and compared with an intensive care unit-grade monitoring system (XPREZZON [Spacelabs Healthcare, USA]) until transition to the ward. Outcome measures were 95% limits of agreement and bias. Clarke Error Grid analysis was performed to assess the ability to assist with correct treatment decisions. In addition, data loss and duration of data gaps were analyzed., Results: Twenty-five high-risk surgical patients were included. More than 700 h of data were available for analysis. For HR, bias and limits of agreement were 1.0 (-6.3, 8.4), 1.3 (-0.5, 3.3), -1.4 (-5.1, 2.3), and -0.4 (-4.0, 3.1) for SensiumVitals, HealthPatch, EarlySense, and Masimo, respectively. For RR, these values were -0.8 (-7.4, 5.6), 0.4 (-3.9, 4.7), and 0.2 (-4.7, 4.4) respectively. HealthPatch overestimated RR, with a bias of 4.4 (limits: -4.4 to 13.3) breaths/minute. Data loss from wireless transmission varied from 13% (83 of 633 h) to 34% (122 of 360 h) for RR and 6% (47 of 727 h) to 27% (182 of 664 h) for HR., Conclusions: All sensors were highly accurate for HR. For RR, the EarlySense, SensiumVitals sensor, and Masimo Radius-7 were reasonably accurate for RR. The accuracy for RR of the HealthPatch sensor was outside acceptable limits. Trend monitoring with wearable sensors could be valuable to timely detect patient deterioration.

Background: Thoracic epidural analgesia is the standard postoperative pain management strategy in esophageal cancer surgery. However, paravertebral block analgesia may achieve comparable pain control while inducing less side effects, which may be beneficial for postoperative recovery. This study primarily aims to compare the postoperative quality of recovery between paravertebral catheter versus thoracic epidural analgesia in patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy., Methods: This study represents a randomized controlled superiority trial. A total of 192 patients will be randomized in 4 Dutch high-volume centers for esophageal cancer surgery. Patients are eligible for inclusion if they are at least 18 years old, able to provide written informed consent and complete questionnaires in Dutch, scheduled to undergo minimally invasive esophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy and an intrathoracic anastomosis, and have no contra-indications to either epidural or paravertebral analgesia. The primary outcome is the quality of postoperative recovery, as measured by the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) questionnaire on the morning of postoperative day 3. Secondary outcomes include the QoR-40 questionnaire score Area Under the Curve on postoperative days 1-3, the integrated pain and systemic opioid score and patient satisfaction and pain experience according to the International Pain Outcomes (IPO) questionnaire, and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, the groups will be compared regarding the need for additional rescue medication on postoperative days 0-3, technical failure of the pain treatment, duration of anesthesia, duration of surgery, total postoperative fluid administration day 0-3, postoperative vasopressor and inotrope use, length of urinary catheter use, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, chronic pain at six months after surgery, and other adverse effects., Discussion: In this study, it is hypothesized that paravertebral analgesia achieves comparable pain control while causing less side-effects such as hypotension when compared to epidural analgesia, leading to shorter postoperative length of stay on a monitored ward and superior quality of recovery. If this hypothesis is confirmed, the results of this study can be used to update the relevant guidelines on postoperative pain management for patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy., Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Registry, NL8037. Registered 19 September 2019.

Objective: Steroids suppress the inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass, but the impact on death at 30 days, myocardial infarction or injury, stroke, renal failure, respiratory failure, new atrial fibrillation, transfusion requirement, infection, and length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays are uncertain., Design: Patient-level data meta-analysis of 2 randomized trials., Setting: Eighty-eight cardiac surgical centers in 19 countries., Participants: A total of 11,989 participants, from the Steroids in Cardiac Surgery trial and the Dexamethasone in Cardiac Surgery study, undergoing cardiac surgery with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass., Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned to steroid or placebo., Measures and Main Results: Outcomes assessed were mortality at 30 days, myocardial infarction or injury, stroke, renal failure, respiratory failure, new atrial fibrillation, transfusion requirement, infection, and length of ICU and hospital stays. There was no significant difference in death at 30 days between the steroid and placebo groups (odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-1.07). Myocardial infarction did not differ significantly (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.93-1.47); however, myocardial injury was higher in the steroid group (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.12-1.40). There were no significant differences for the outcomes of stroke, renal failure, new atrial fibrillation, or transfusion. Steroids significantly reduced respiratory failure (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.75-0.99), infection (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.72-0.89), and length of ICU (p < 0.001) and hospital stays (p = 0.006)., Conclusions: This patient-level meta-analysis does not support the routine use of steroids in cardiac surgery. Steroid administration did not decrease the risk of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, new atrial fibrillation, or transfusion. Steroids increased the risk of myocardial injury in both the Steroids in Cardiac Surgery and Dexamethasone in Cardiac Surgery trials. Finally, steroids lowered the risk of respiratory failure and infection, and reduced length of ICU and hospital stay., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Remote monitoring of physical activity in patients with chronic conditions could be useful to offer care professionals real-time assessment of their patient's daily activity pattern to adjust appropriate treatment. However, the validity of commercially available activity trackers that can be used for telemonitoring purposes is limited., Objective: The purpose of this study was to test usability and determine the validity of 3 consumer-level activity trackers as a measure of free-living activity., Methods: A usability evaluation (study 1) and validation study (study 2) were conducted. In study 1, 10 individuals wore one activity tracker for a period of 30 days and filled in a questionnaire on ease of use and wearability. In study 2, we validated three selected activity trackers (Apple Watch, Misfit Shine, and iHealth Edge) and a fourth pedometer (Yamax Digiwalker) against the reference standard (Actigraph GT3X) in 30 healthy participants for 72 hours. Outcome measures were 95% limits of agreement (LoA) and bias (Bland-Altman analysis). Furthermore, median absolute differences (MAD) were calculated. Correction for bias was estimated and validated using leave-one-out cross validation., Results: Usability evaluation of study 1 showed that iHealth Edge and Apple Watch were more comfortable to wear as compared with the Misfit Flash. Therefore, the Misfit Flash was replaced by Misfit Shine in study 2. During study 2, the total number of steps of the reference standard was 21,527 (interquartile range, IQR 17,475-24,809). Bias and LoA for number of steps from the Apple Watch and iHealth Edge were 968 (IQR -5478 to 7414) and 2021 (IQR -4994 to 9036) steps. For Misfit Shine and Yamax Digiwalker, bias was -1874 and 2004, both with wide LoA of (13,869 to 10,121) and (-10,932 to 14,940) steps, respectively. The Apple Watch noted the smallest MAD of 7.7% with the Actigraph, whereas the Yamax Digiwalker noted the highest MAD (20.3%). After leave-one-out cross validation, accuracy estimates of MAD of the iHealth Edge and Misfit Shine were within acceptable limits with 10.7% and 11.3%, respectively., Conclusions: Overall, the Apple Watch and iHealth Edge were positively evaluated after wearing. Validity varied widely between devices, with the Apple Watch being the most accurate and Yamax Digiwalker the least accurate for step count in free-living conditions. The iHealth Edge underestimates number of steps but can be considered reliable for activity monitoring after correction for bias. Misfit Shine overestimated number of steps and cannot be considered suitable for step count because of the low agreement. Future studies should focus on the added value of remotely monitoring activity patterns over time in chronic patients., (©Martine JM Breteler, Joris H Janssen, Wilko Spiering, Cor J Kalkman, Wouter W van Solinge, Daan AJ Dohmen. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (http://formative.jmir.org), 24.04.2019.)

Purpose: Altered respiratory rate (RR) has been identified as an important predictor of serious adverse events during hospitalization. Introduction of a well-tolerated continuous RR monitor could potentially reduce serious adverse events such as opioid-induced respiratory depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of different monitor devices to detect RR in low care clinical settings., Methods: This was a prospective method-comparison study with a cross-sectional design. Thoracic impedance pneumography (IPG), frequency modulated continuous wave radar, and an acoustic breath sounds monitor were compared with the gold standard of capnography for their ability to detect RR in breaths per minute (breaths·min -1 ) in awake postoperative patients in the postanesthesia care unit. The Bland and Altman method for repeated measurements and mixed effect modelling was used to obtain bias and limits of agreement (LoA). Furthermore, the ability of the three devices to assist with correct treatment decisions was evaluated in Clarke Error Grids., Results: Twenty patients were monitored for 1,203 min, with a median [interquartile range] of 61 [60-63] min per patient. The bias (98.9% LoA) were 0.1 (-7.9 to 7.9) breaths·min -1 for the acoustic monitor, -1.6 (-10.8 to 7.6) for the radar, and -1.9 (-13.1 to 9.2) for the IPG. The extent to which the monitors guided adequate or led to inadequate treatment decisions (determined by Clarke Error Grid analysis) differed significantly between the monitors (P = 0.011). Decisions were correct 96% of the time for acoustic, 95% of the time for radar, and 94% of the time for IPG monitoring devices., Conclusions: None of the studied devices (acoustic, IPG, and radar monitor) had LoA that were within our predefined (based on clinical judgement) limits of ± 2 breaths·min -1 . The acoustic breath sound monitor predicted the correct treatment more often than the IPG and the radar device.

Ultrasound scanning of bladder volume is used for prevention of postoperative urinary retention (POUR). Accurate assessment of bladder volume is needed to allow clinical decision-making regarding the need for postoperative catheterization. Two commonly used ultrasound devices, the BladderScan® BVI 9400 and the newly released Prime® (Verathon Medical®, Bothell, WA, USA), with or without the 'pre-scan' option, have not been validated in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of these devices in daily clinical practice. Between June and September 2016 a prospective observational study was conducted in 318 surgical patients (18 years or older) who needed a urinary catheter perioperatively for clinical reasons. For acceptable performance, we required that the volume as estimated by the BladderScan® differs by no more than 5% from the actual urine volume after catheterization. The Schuirmann's two one-sided test was performed to assess equivalence between the BladderScan® estimate and catheterization. The BVI 9400® overestimated the actual bladder volume by + 17.5% (95% CI + 8.8 to + 26.3%). The Prime® without pre-scan underestimated by - 4.1% (95% CI - 8.8 to + 0.5%) and the Prime® with pre-scan underestimated by - 6.3% (95% CI - 11.6 to - 1.1%). This study shows that while both ultrasound devices were able to approximate current bladder volume, both BVI 9400® and Prime®-with and without pre-scan-were not able to measure the actual bladder volume within our predefined limit of ± 5%. Using the pre-scan feature of the Prime® did not further improve accuracy.

Background: The clinical use of epidural analgesia has changed over past decades. Minimally invasive surgery and emergence of alternative analgesic techniques have led to an overall decline in its use. In addition, there is increasing awareness of the patient-specific risks for complications such as spinal haematoma and abscess. Local guidelines for management of severe neurological complications during or after epidural analgesia, ie, "epidural alert systems", have been introduced in hospitals to coordinate and potentially streamline early diagnosis and treatment. How widely such protocols have been implemented in daily practice is unknown., Methods: We conducted a survey to analyse trends in practice, key indications, safety measures, safety reporting, and management of complications of epidural analgesia in the Netherlands. Data were gathered using a web-based questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics., Results: Questionnaires from 85 of all 94 Dutch hospitals performing epidural analgesia were collected and analysed, a 90% response rate. Fifty-five percent reported a trend towards decreased use of perioperative epidural analgesia, while 68% reported increasing use of epidural analgesia for labour. Reported key indications for epidural analgesia were thoracotomy, upper abdominal laparotomy, and abdominal cancer debulking. An epidural alert system for neurological complications of epidural analgesia was available in 45% of hospitals., Conclusions: This national audit concerning use and safety of epidural analgesia demonstrates that a minority of Dutch hospitals have procedures to manage suspected neurological complications of epidural analgesia, whereas in the remaining hospitals responsibilities and timelines for management of epidural emergencies are determined on an ad hoc basis., (© 2018 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

An important aim of clinical prediction models is to positively impact clinical decision making and subsequent patient outcomes. The impact on clinical decision making and patient outcome can be quantified in prospective comparative-ideally cluster-randomized-studies, known as 'impact studies'. However, such impact studies often require a lot of time and resources, especially when they are (cluster-)randomized studies. Before envisioning such large-scale randomized impact study, it is important to ensure a reasonable chance that the use of the prediction model by the targeted healthcare professionals and patients will indeed have a positive effect on both decision making and subsequent outcomes. We recently performed two differently designed, prospective impact studies on a clinical prediction model to be used in surgical patients. Both studies taught us new valuable lessons on several aspects of prediction model impact studies, and which considerations may guide researchers in their decision to conduct a prospective comparative impact study. We provide considerations on how to prepare a prediction model for implementation in practice, how to present the model predictions, and how to choose the proper design for a prediction model impact study., Competing Interests: As the decision support tools in our study protocols only provided evidence-based information to physicians, the institutional ethical review board waived the need for individual informed consent and approved both study protocols (Medical Ethics Review Board, University Medical Center Utrecht, 05-288 for the cluster-randomized trial, and 11–553 for the before-after study).The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Although rare, spinal haematoma and abscess after central neuraxial blocks may cause severe permanent neurological injury. Optimal treatment and outcome remain unclear. In order to identify possible predisposing patient characteristics and describe the ensuing clinical course, we searched Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for reports of spinal haematomas and abscesses associated with central neuraxial blocks. Extracted data included patient characteristics, symptoms, treatment, and outcome. We analysed 409 reports, including 647 patients (387 patients with spinal haematoma and 260 patients with spinal abscess). Spinal haematoma and abscess occurred predominantly after epidural anaesthesia (58% and 83%, respectively). Neurological recovery was correlated with the severity of initial neurological deficit. When decompression of spinal haematoma was delayed for >12 h after clinical diagnosis, neurological outcome was worse compared with earlier decompression (odds ratio 4.5, 95% confidence interval 2.1-9.9, P<0.001, n=163). After spinal haematoma, 47% of published patients had full recovery, 28% had partial recovery, and in 25% no recovery was observed. Good outcome after conservative management was observed in patients with mild symptoms or with spontaneous recovery during the diagnostic and therapeutic workup. After spinal abscess, 68% of reported patients recovered fully, 21% showed partial recovery, and no recovery was reported in 11%. Persistent neurological symptoms after spinal haematoma and abscess are common and correlate with the severity of initial neurological deficit. Neurological outcome seems worse when decompressive surgery of haematoma is delayed. Notwithstanding the considerable risk of selection bias and publication bias, conservative management may be feasible in patients with mild symptoms or spontaneous recovery., (Copyright © 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: Intermittent vital signs measurements are the current standard on hospital wards, typically recorded once every 8 hours. Early signs of deterioration may therefore be missed. Recent innovations have resulted in 'wearable' sensors, which may capture patient deterioration at an earlier stage. The objective of this study was to determine whether a wireless 'patch' sensor is able to reliably measure respiratory and heart rate continuously in high-risk surgical patients. The secondary objective was to explore the potential of the wireless sensor to serve as a safety monitor., Design: In an observational methods comparisons study, patients were measured with both the wireless sensor and bedside routine standard for at least 24 hours., Setting: University teaching hospital, single centre., Participants: Twenty-five postoperative surgical patients admitted to a step-down unit., Outcome Measures: Primary outcome measures were limits of agreement and bias of heart rate and respiratory rate. Secondary outcome measures were sensor reliability, defined as time until first occurrence of data loss., Results: 1568 hours of vital signs data were analysed. Bias and 95% limits of agreement for heart rate were -1.1 (-8.8 to 6.5) beats per minute. For respiration rate, bias was -2.3 breaths per minute with wide limits of agreement (-15.8 to 11.2 breaths per minute). Median filtering over a 15 min period improved limits of agreement of both respiration and heart rate. 63% of the measurements were performed without data loss greater than 2 min. Overall data loss was limited (6% of time)., Conclusions: The wireless sensor is capable of accurately measuring heart rate, but accuracy for respiratory rate was outside acceptable limits. Remote monitoring has the potential to contribute to early recognition of physiological decline in high-risk patients. Future studies should focus on the ability to detect patient deterioration on low care environments and at home after discharge., Competing Interests: Competing interests: At the time of the study, MJMB was part-time employee of FocusCura (Health IT company, Driebergen-Zeist, The Netherlands) and DAJD is founder and CEO of FocusCura. No funding from FocusCura was obtained. To ensure independent analysis, the wearable sensor (HealthPatch MD) was purchased from VitalConnect, the manufacturer of the HealthPatch MD. VitalConnect neither had insight nor influence on the analysis of the data or drafting of the manuscript., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Objective: A well-designed final year may ease the transition from medical school to postgraduate training, if it has enough depth to enable the acquisition of early specialty expertise, while keeping enough breadth to support the graduation as all-round physician. Aim of this article is to describe the design of a multidisciplinary dedicated transitional year (DTY) around the theme of recognition and initial treatment of vitally threatened patients. Methods: Undergraduate and postgraduate training directors from the departments of Anaesthesiology, Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine and Respiratory Medicine at UMC Utrecht and partnering hospitals have collaboratively developed and implemented a curriculum for a final year focusing on three entrustable professional activities (EPAs) in the domain of acute care. These EPAs represent authentic tasks of starting residents in each of the participating specialties, align student training objectives with postgraduate expectations, and are the primary focus of learning, teaching, and assessment throughout the year. Students are developmentally supported by a mentor and educationally supported by monthly academic half days. Results: Between October 2014 and November 2016,, 47 students chose DTY Acute Care. The set-up of our DTY is inspiring other specialties to develop multidisciplinary DTYs. Attainment of clinical competence, experience of students and staff, and exploration of graduates' early careers are subjects of current research projects. Conclusion: This multidisciplinary dedicated transitional year aims to graduate students with profile-specific competence in acute care. It prepares for residency in a range of specialties.

Background: Postgraduate specialty training has traditionally been based on a time- and rotation-based model, but competency-based models are emerging. Because anaesthesia training evolves differently across Europe, variations in assessment and certification processes are expected, but the extent of similarities and differences is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare anaesthesia training programmes in Europe, focusing on assessment and certification processes., Methods: We performed an online survey among national representatives of the Union of European Medical Specialists/European Board of Anaesthesiology., Results: All 36 countries participated. Duration of training had a median of 5 yr (range 2.75-7). Mean number of different assessment tools was 7.45 (range 4-13), with more tools being used in competency-based programmes [mean 9.1 (sd 2.97) vs 7.0 (sd 1.97); P=0.03]. Most countries had a nationally uniform certification process. Based on a qualitative analysis of the survey findings, a categorization of countries emerged, reflecting the approach to assessment and certification. We observed two main streams of countries with an underlying knowledge or procedural focus within a time- and rotation-based apprenticeship model. These main streams are evolving, to different extents, towards a third orientation, competency-based training., Conclusions: Assessment and certification processes in European anaesthesia training are diverse. In many countries, a time-based apprenticeship model is evolving towards a competency-based certification process. This diversity precludes comparison of competence of graduating anaesthetists across Europe., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com)

Aims and Objectives: To describe patients' and nurses' knowledge and beliefs regarding pain management. Moreover, to explore the effect of information and education on patients' and nurses' knowledge and beliefs regarding pain management., Background: In the treatment of postoperative pain, patients' and nurses' inadequate knowledge and erroneous beliefs may hamper the appropriate use of analgesics., Design: A randomised controlled trial and a cross-sectional study., Methods: In 2013, half of 760 preoperative patients were allocated to the intervention group and received written information about the complications of postoperative pain. The knowledge and beliefs of 1184 nurses were studied in 2014 in a cross-sectional study. All data were collected with the same questionnaires., Results: In the intervention group, patients' knowledge level was significant higher than in the control group, while no differences were found in beliefs. Nurses had higher knowledge and more positive beliefs towards pain management compared with both patient groups. Nurses with additional pain education scored better than nurses without additional pain education. Nurses were also asked what percentage of pain scores matched their impression of the patient's pain, and the mean was found to be 63%., Conclusions: Written information was effective for increasing patients' knowledge. However, it was not effective for changing beliefs about analgesics and patients and nurses had erroneous beliefs about analgesics., Relevance to Clinical Practice: It is necessary to continue to inform patients and nurses about the need for analgesics after surgery. Such education could also emphasise that a discrepancy between a patient's reported pain score and the nurse's own assessment of the patient's pain should prompt a discussion with the patient about his/her pain., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Previous studies provide inconsistent data on whether postoperative delirium (POD) is a risk factor for postoperative cognitive decline (POCD). We thus investigated the relationship between POD and cognitive change after cardiac surgery and assessed the relationship between preoperative cognitive domain scores and POD., Methods: Postoperative delirium was assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) adapted for the intensive care unit and the conventional CAM accompanied by chart review. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery before elective cardiac surgery and 1 month and 1 yr afterwards. Cognitive change was calculated using the Reliable Change Index (RCI). Multiple linear regression was used to adjust for confounding., Results: Of the 184 patients who completed baseline assessment, 23 (12.5%) developed POD. At 1 month, the decline in cognitive performance was worse in patients with POD [median composite RCI -1.00, interquartile range (IQR) -1.67 to 0.28] than in patients without POD (RCI -0.04, IQR -0.70 to 0.63, P =0.02). At 1 yr, both groups showed cognitive improvement on average compared with baseline (POD patients median composite RCI 0.25, IQR -0.42 to 1.31, vs non-POD patients RCI 0.92, IQR 0.18-1.53; P =0.08). Correction for differences in age and level of education did not change the results. Patients with POD performed less well than patients without POD on the preoperative Trailmaking test part A ( P =0.03)., Conclusions: Postoperative delirium is independently associated with cognitive decline 1 month after surgery, but cognitive performance generally recovers in 1 yr. Patients with a predisposition to POD can be identified before surgery by worse performance in an attention task., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT00293592., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com)

Background and Aims: Despite widespread use, the efficacy of neuraxial glucocorticoids for neuropathic pain is subject to debate. Since most glucocorticoid actions are mediated through its receptor, we explored the effects of intrathecal methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) on total glucocorticoid receptor (tGR) levels and activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (phosphorylated state=pGR) within the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in a spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model in rats., Methods: Rats received unilateral ligation of the L5/L6 spinal nerves and were treated with two intrathecal doses of either 400μg MPA or 0.9% saline with a 72-h interval. Plantar tactile thresholds were measured over time. Seven days after drug treatment, DRG and SDH were harvested to assess tGR and pGR levels using immunohistochemistry and qPCR., Results: Allodynia, defined by lowered tactile withdrawal thresholds after SNL, was unaltered by intrathecal MPA. In saline controls, mRNA levels of tGR did not change after SNL in the DRGs or SDH. tGR and pGR protein levels in the SDH however, significantly increased on the ipsilateral side of SNL compared to the contralateral side and to naïve tissue. When treating rats with MPA, tGR mRNA levels were significantly reduced in the SDH compared to saline controls. tGR and pGR protein levels, however were not significantly lower compared to saline controls., Conclusions: In intrathecal MPA treated rats, tGR mRNA levels decreased after SNL. However this did not result in lower tGR and pGR protein levels compared to saline controls, and did not decrease ligation-induced mechanical hypersensitivity., Implications: Intrathecal MPA treatment after SNL did not result in lower tGR and pGR levels within the SDH and DRG compared to saline controls. In present study we did not differentiate between the various isoforms of the GR which might clarify this finding., (Copyright © 2017 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Prophylactic intra-operative administration of dexamethasone may improve short-term clinical outcomes in cardiac surgical patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness of dexamethasone versus placebo. Patients included in the multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled DExamethasone for Cardiac Surgery (DECS) trial were followed up for 12 months after their cardiac surgical procedure. In the DECS trial, patients received a single intra-operative dose of dexamethasone 1 mg.kg -1 (n = 2239) or placebo (n = 2255). The effects on the incidence of major postoperative events were evaluated. Also, overall costs for the 12-month postoperative period, and cost effectiveness, were compared between groups. Of 4494 randomised patients, 4457 patients (99%) were followed up until 12 months after surgery. There was no difference in the incidence of major postoperative events, the relative risk (95%CI) being 0.86 (0.72-1.03); p = 0.1. Treatment with dexamethasone reduced costs per patient by £921 [€1084] (95%CI £-1672 to -137; p = 0.02), mainly through reduction of postoperative respiratory failure and duration of postoperative hospital stay. The probability of dexamethasone being cost effective compared with placebo was 97% at a threshold value of £17,000 [€20,000] per quality-adjusted life year. We conclude that intra-operative high-dose dexamethasone did not have an effect on major adverse events at 12 months after cardiac surgery, but was associated with a reduction in costs. Routine dexamethasone administration is expected to be cost effective at commonly accepted threshold levels for cost effectiveness., (© 2017 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.)

Importance: Fibrinogen concentrate might partly restore coagulation defects and reduce intraoperative bleeding., Objective: To determine whether fibrinogen concentrate infusion dosed to achieve a plasma fibrinogen level of 2.5 g/L in high-risk cardiac surgery patients with intraoperative bleeding reduces intraoperative blood loss., Design, Setting, and Participants: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial conducted in Isala Zwolle, the Netherlands (February 2011-January 2015), involving patients undergoing elective, high-risk cardiac surgery (ie, combined coronary artery bypass graft [CABG] surgery and valve repair or replacement surgery, the replacement of multiple valves, aortic root reconstruction, or reconstruction of the ascending aorta or aortic arch) with intraoperative bleeding (blood volume between 60 and 250 mL suctioned from the thoracic cavity in a period of 5 minutes) were randomized to receive either fibrinogen concentrate or placebo., Interventions: Intravenous, single-dose administration of fibrinogen concentrate (n = 60) or placebo (n = 60), targeted to achieve a postinfusion plasma fibrinogen level of 2.5 g/L., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was blood loss in milliliters between intervention (ie, after removal of cardiopulmonary bypass) and closure of chest. Safety variables (within 30 days) included: in-hospital mortality, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack, renal insufficiency or failure, venous thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, and operative complications., Results: Among 120 patients (mean age; 71 [SD, 10] years, 37 women [31%]) included in the study, combined CABG and valve repair or replacement surgery comprised 72% of procedures and had a mean (SD) cardiopulmonary bypass time of 200 minutes (83) minutes. For the primary outcome, median blood loss in the fibrinogen group was 50 mL (interquartile range [IQR], 29-100 mL) compared with 70 mL (IQR, 33-145 mL) in the control group (P = .19), the absolute difference 20 mL (95% CI, -13 to 35 mL). There were 6 cases of stroke or transient ischemic attack (4 in the fibrinogen group); 4 myocardial infarctions (3 in the fibrinogen group); 2 deaths (both in the fibrinogen group); 5 cases with renal insufficiency or failure (3 in the fibrinogen group); and 9 cases with reoperative thoracotomy (4 in the fibrinogen group)., Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with intraoperative bleeding during high-risk cardiac surgery, administration of fibrinogen concentrate, compared with placebo, resulted in no significant difference in the amount of intraoperative blood loss., Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01124981 and EudraCT No: 2009-018086-12.

Background: Serious games have the potential to teach complex cognitive skills in an engaging way, at relatively low costs. Their flexibility in use and scalability makes them an attractive learning tool, but more research is needed on the effectiveness of serious games compared to more traditional formats such e-modules. We investigated whether undergraduate medical students developed better knowledge and awareness and were more motivated after learning about patient-safety through a serious game than peers who studied the same topics using an e-module., Methods: Fourth-year medical students were randomly assigned to either a serious game that included video-lectures, biofeedback exercises and patient missions (n = 32) or an e-module, that included text-based lectures on the same topics (n = 34). A third group acted as a historical control-group without extra education (n = 37). After the intervention, which took place during the clinical introduction course, before the start of the first rotation, all students completed a knowledge test, a self-efficacy test and a motivation questionnaire. During the following 10-week clinical rotation they filled out weekly questionnaires on patient-safety awareness and stress., Results: The results showed patient safety knowledge had equally improved in the game group and e-module group compared to controls, who received no extra education. Average learning-time was 3 h for the game and 1 h for the e-module-group. The serious game was evaluated as more engaging; the e-module as more easy to use. During rotations, students in the three groups reported low and similar levels of patient-safety awareness and stress. Students who had treated patients successfully during game missions experienced higher self-efficacy and less stress during their rotation than students who treated patients unsuccessfully., Conclusions: Video-lectures (in a game) and text-based lectures (in an e-module) can be equally effective in developing knowledge on specific topics. Although serious games are strongly engaging for students and stimulate them to study longer, they do not necessarily result in better performance in patient safety issues.

Background: For outcomes research where changes in intraoperative blood pressure are a possible causative factor, it is important to determine an appropriate source for a reference value. We studied to what extent preinduction blood pressure values in the operating room differ from those obtained during preoperative evaluation outside the operating room., Methods: Cohort study including 4408 patients aged 60 years or older undergoing noncardiac surgery. The outcome was the difference between the preinduction mean blood pressure (MBP) and the MBP obtained during preoperative evaluation. A difference of ≥10 mm Hg was considered clinically relevant. A paired samples t test was used to estimate the difference. Linear regression was used to obtain estimates adjusted for patient characteristics, comorbidity, medications, type of surgery, and preoperative blood pressure., Results: Complete data were available for 3660 (83%) patients. There were 2228 (61%) patients with a difference of ≥10 mm Hg between the preinduction and preoperative MBP. The overall mean difference between both MBPs was 11 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 10-11) with important variability among individuals. Patients with higher preoperative MBP values had smaller differences. After adjusting for patient characteristics, comorbidity, medications, type of surgery, and preoperative blood pressure, the difference decreased an estimated 5.0 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 4.7-5.4) for every increase of 10 mm Hg in preoperative MBP. Patient characteristics, comorbidity, type of surgery, or medication were not strongly associated with the difference., Conclusions: The average preinduction blood pressure was higher than the preoperative blood pressure. This difference between the measurements can be explained by stress-induced effects and regression to the mean. To define an optimal reference value for research purposes or to arrive at a clinical perioperative blood pressure target, one should consider that there is important variability both within and between patients.

Altered respiratory rate is one of the first symptoms of medical conditions that require timely intervention, e.g., sepsis or opioid-induced respiratory depression. To facilitate continuous respiratory rate monitoring on general hospital wards a contactless, non-invasive, prototype monitor was developed using frequency modulated continuous wave radar. We aimed to study whether radar can reliably measure respiratory rate in postoperative patients. In a diagnostic cross-sectional study patients were monitored with the radar and the reference monitor (pneumotachograph during mechanical ventilation and capnography during spontaneous breathing). Eight patients were included; yielding 796 min of observation time during mechanical ventilation and 521 min during spontaneous breathing. After elimination of movement artifacts the bias and 95 % limits of agreement for mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing were -0.12 (-1.76 to 1.51) and -0.59 (-5.82 to 4.63) breaths per minute respectively. The radar was able to accurately measure respiratory rate in mechanically ventilated patients, but the accuracy decreased during spontaneous breathing., Competing Interests: This study was funded by the Department of Anesthesiology at the University Medical Center Utrecht. The non-profit non-departmental research organization TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) provided the prototype of the monitor and has its ownership. For completeness we mention that co-author S. Kossen is an employee at TNO. Hemologic - Surgical Company contributed to the study by providing medical equipment for data-acquisition on loan and had no financial interest with regard to this study.

Objectives: Prediction models may facilitate risk-based management of health care conditions. In a large cluster-randomized trial, presenting calculated risks of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) to physicians (assistive approach) increased risk-based management of PONV. This increase did not improve patient outcome-that is, PONV incidence. This prompted us to explore how prediction tools guide the decision-making process of physicians., Study Design and Setting: Using mixed methods, we interviewed eight physicians to understand how predicted risks were perceived by the physicians and how they influenced decision making. Subsequently, all 57 physicians of the trial were surveyed for how the presented risks influenced their perceptions., Results: Although the prediction tool made physicians more aware of PONV prevention, the physicians reported three barriers to use predicted risks in their decision making. PONV was not considered an outcome of utmost importance; decision making on PONV prophylaxis was mostly intuitive rather than risk based; prediction models do not weigh benefits and risks of prophylactic drugs., Conclusion: Combining probabilistic output of the model with their clinical experience may be difficult for physicians, especially when their decision-making process is mostly intuitive. Adding recommendations to predicted risks (directive approach) was considered an important step to facilitate the uptake of a prediction tool., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In postoperative pain treatment patients are asked to rate their pain experience on a single uni-dimensional pain scale. Such pain scores are also used as indicator to assess the quality of pain treatment. However, patients may differ in how they interpret the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score., Objectives: This study examines how patients assign a number to their currently experienced postoperative pain and which considerations influence this process., Methods: A qualitative approach according to grounded theory was used. Twenty-seven patients were interviewed one day after surgery., Results: Three main themes emerged that influenced the Numeric Rating Scale scores (0-10) that patients actually reported to professionals: score-related factors, intrapersonal factors, and the anticipated consequences of a given pain score. Anticipated consequences were analgesic administration-which could be desired or undesired-and possible judgements by professionals. We also propose a conceptual model for the relationship between factors that influence the pain rating process. Based on patients' score-related and intrapersonal factors, a preliminary pain score was "internally" set. Before reporting the pain score to the healthcare professional, patients considered the anticipated consequences (i.e., expected judgements by professionals and anticipation of analgesic administration) of current Numeric Rating Scale scores., Conclusions: This study provides insight into the process of how patients translate their current postoperative pain into a numeric rating score. The proposed model may help professionals to understand the factors that influence a given Numeric Rating Scale score and suggest the most appropriate questions for clarification. In this way, patients and professionals may arrive at a shared understanding of the pain score, resulting in a tailored decision regarding the most appropriate treatment of current postoperative pain, particularly the dosing and timing of opioid administration., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: Glucocorticoids, a group of anti-inflammatory agents, are frequently administered in pain medicine. Of interest is the reported activity after intrathecal delivery in patients with neuropathic pain syndromes such as postherpetic neuralgia, though its efficacy is controversial. After the publication of two randomized clinical trials in postherpetic neuralgia patients treated with similar intrathecal methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) dosing regimes with conflicting results; one showing significant pain reduction (Kotani N, Kushikata T, Hashimoto H, Kimura F, Muraoka M, Yodono M, Asai M, Matsuki A: Intrathecal methylprednisolone for intractable postherpetic neuralgia. N Engl J Med 2000;23: 1514-9), the other increased pain sensations (Rijsdijk M, van Wijck AJ, Meulenhoff PC, Kavelaars A, van der Tweel I, Kalkman CJ: No beneficial effect of intrathecal methylprednisolone acetate in postherpetic neuralgia patients. Eur J Pain 2013;38: 175-200), we decided additional research was warranted. Present study sought to determine effects of intrathecally delivered methylprednisolone on pain-like behaviour and pain-associated markers in three well established rodent pain models: (1) intraplantar carrageenan, (2) intraplantar formalin, and (3) ligation of L5/L6 spinal nerves (SNL model)., Methods: Male rats with intrathecal catheters were examined for (1) tactile allodynia after unilateral hindpaw intraplantar carrageenan injection (2%), (2) flinching and subsequent long term tactile allodynia after unilateral hindpaw intraplantar formalin injection (2.5%) or (3) tactile allodynia after unilateral ligation of the L5 and L6 spinal nerves. Rats were treated with the maximum tolerable intrathecal dose of the soluble methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MP) or the particulate methylprednisolone acetate (MPA). Dorsal root ganglia and spinal cords were harvested for immunohistochemistry to assess markers of neuronal damage (ATF3) and glial activation (GFAP, Iba1)., Results: During dose finding, severe generalized allodynia was observed with high intrathecal doses of both MPA and MP in naive rats. MPA had no effect upon tactile allodynia after carrageenan. MP and MPA did not reverse tactile allodynia in the SNL model, and did not reduce flinching in the formalin model. MP and MPA prevented the delayed (7-day) tactile allodynia otherwise observed in the formalin-injected paw. Systemic MP or perineural MP or MPA did not reduce pain-like behaviour in the SNL model. No reduction of neuronal injury (ATF3) in the dorsal root ganglion or astrocyte activation (GFAP) in the spinal dorsal horn with intrathecal MP or MPA was observed. There was a decrease in microglial activation (Iba1) in the spinal dorsal horn with MPA after SNL., Conclusion: Severe generalized allodynia was observed after high intrathecal doses of MP and MPA in naive rats. No acute analgesic effects with intrathecal glucocorticoids were observed in three well established pain models. Only a late antiallodynic effect was present in the formalin model, 7 days after formalin injection and drug treatment., Implications: Our results do not support use of intrathecal methylprednisolone in the treatment of pain., (Copyright © 2015 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Failure to recognize acute deterioration in hospitalized patients may contribute to cardiopulmonary arrest, unscheduled intensive care unit admission and increased mortality., Purpose: In this systematic review we aimed to determine whether continuous non-invasive respiratory monitoring improves early diagnosis of patient deterioration and reduces critical incidents on hospital wards., Data Sources: Studies were retrieved from Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane library, searched from 1970 till October 25, 2014., Study Selection: Electronic databases were searched using keywords and corresponding synonyms 'ward', 'continuous', 'monitoring' and 'respiration'. Pediatric, fetal and animal studies were excluded., Data Extraction: Since no validated tool is currently available for diagnostic or intervention studies with continuous monitoring, methodological quality was assessed with a modified tool based on modified STARD, CONSORT, and TREND statements., Data Synthesis: Six intervention and five diagnostic studies were included, evaluating the use of eight different devices for continuous respiratory monitoring. Quantitative data synthesis was not possible because intervention, study design and outcomes differed considerably between studies. Outcomes estimates for the intervention studies ranged from RR 0.14 (0.03, 0.64) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation to RR 1.00 (0.41, 2.35) for unplanned ICU admission after introduction of continuous respiratory monitoring., Limitations: The methodological quality of most studies was moderate, e.g. 'before-after' designs, incomplete reporting of primary outcomes, and incomplete clinical implementation of the monitoring system., Conclusions: Based on the findings of this systematic review, implementation of routine continuous non-invasive respiratory monitoring on general hospital wards cannot yet be advocated as results are inconclusive, and methodological quality of the studies needs improvement. Future research in this area should focus on technology explicitly suitable for low care settings and tailored alarm and treatment algorithms.

Objectives: To design and validate a practical questionnaire for clinicians, to identify barriers and facilitators for evidence-based practice (EBP), that is, the use of research evidence in patient care. The inventory is ultimately intended for departments to assess local conditions for EBP, to aim and evaluate efforts at improving or maximizing EBP., Study Design and Setting: We derived candidate items from existing EBP scales, psychology, and behavioral economics. In an online Delphi study, 537 international expert clinicians, researchers, teachers, and policymakers interested in EBP identified items with sufficient face and content validity. We piloted and validated the resulting draft inventory among 127 clinicians from various specialties and career stages., Results: The Delphi study started with 114 items and resulted in a draft inventory with 29 items in five dimensions. During the pilot, the inventory was easy to complete within 15 minutes and the items showed sufficient response variation. In four of five dimensions, test-retest reliability was substantial to almost perfect and the power to discriminate between groups with different expertise was adequate, whereas internal consistency showed that the items generally measured the same construct. On the basis of internal consistency and factor analysis, we excluded three items. The final EBP inventory consists of 26 items in five dimensions: decision making, subjective norm, attitude, perceived behavior control, and intention and behavior., Discussion and Conclusion: The EBP inventory was developed with support of EBP experts and validated among various academic clinicians. It shows adequate face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, discriminative power, and completion will take <15 minutes. We recommend further evaluation of its value in field trials., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: A large cohort study recently reported high pain scores after caesarean section (CS). The aim of this study was to analyse how pain after CS interferes with patients' activities and to identify possible causes of insufficient pain treatment., Methods: We analysed pain scores, pain-related interferences (with movement, deep breathing, mood and sleep), analgesic techniques, analgesic consumption, adverse effects and the wish to have received more analgesics during the first 24 h after surgery. To better evaluate the severity of impairment by pain, the results of CS patients were compared with those of patients undergoing hysterectomy., Results: CS patients (n = 811) were compared with patients undergoing abdominal, laparoscopic-assisted vaginal or vaginal hysterectomy (n = 2406, from 54 hospitals). Pain intensity, wish for more analgesics and most interference outcomes were significantly worse after CS compared with hysterectomies. CS patients with spinal or general anaesthesia and without patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) received significantly less opioids on the ward (62% without any opioid) compared with patients with PCA (p < 0.001). Patients with PCA reported pain-related interference with movement and deep breathing between 49% and 52% compared with patients without PCA (between 68% and 73%; p-values between 0.004 and 0.013; not statistically significant after correction for multiple testing)., Conclusion: In daily clinical practice, pain after CS is much higher than previously thought. Pain management was insufficient compared with patients undergoing hysterectomy. Unfavourable outcome was mainly associated with low opioid administration after CS. Contradictory pain treatment guidelines for patients undergoing CS and for breastfeeding mothers might contribute to reluctance of opioid administration in CS patients., (© 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®)

Background: Given the growing number of vulnerable, older cardiac surgery patients, the preadmission PREvention Decline in Older Cardiac Surgery patients (PREDOCS) programme was developed to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications. Before the clinical effects of such a complex multicomponent intervention can be evaluated, the feasibility needs to be determined to detect possible problems with the acceptability, compliance and delivery., Aim: The purpose of this study was to test the PREDOCS programme on its feasibility and estimate theoretical cost savings., Methods: In a mixed-methods multicentre study, the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidelines concerning testing feasibility were followed, and theoretical cost savings were calculated. We used data from interviews and the continuous data registry at three hospitals. The results were reported following the criteria for reporting the feasibility of complex interventions (CReDECI)., Results: Twenty-one females and 49 males out of 114 eligible patients completed the intervention and provided full data. Patients were equally satisfied with the usual care and the PREDOCS programme (satisfaction rate respectively standard deviation (SD): 7.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.4-8.7) and 7.6 (6.6-8.6)). The involved nurses were satisfied with the tools for guiding patients to reduce their risk of postoperative complications and considered the PREDOCS programme as complementary to usual care. Integrating PREDOCS into current hospital structures appeared to be difficult. Both patients and nurses indicated that the additional consult was tiresome for the patient. The PREDOCS programme will be cost-effective when postoperative complications are prevented in six to sixteen of 1000 cardiac surgery patients., Conclusions: The PREDOCS programme is acceptable for patients and nurses but should be built into the hospital's cardiac surgery pathway or applied in home care., (© The European Society of Cardiology 2014.)

Guidelines for postoperative pain treatment are based on patients' pain scores. Patients with an intermediate Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score of 5 or 6 may consider their pain as either bearable or unbearable, which makes it difficult to decide on pain treatment because guidelines advise professionals to treat pain at NRS > 4. Educating patients in using an NRS score for pain might improve adequate pain treatment. A quasi-randomized controlled trial was conducted in which 194 preoperative patients watched the educational film and 183 the control film. Pain scores were considered discordant when patients reported an NRS ≤ 4 and wanted additional opioids or when patients reported an NRS > 4 and did not want additional opioids. Beliefs, fear, and knowledge of pain; pain assessment; and pain treatment were measured by questionnaires. No significant differences in discordant pain scores between the groups were found: relative risk (RR) 0.73, confidence interval (CI) 0.47-1.15 at rest and RR 0.96, CI 0.72-1.28 at movement. Patients in the intervention group had lower NRS pain scores than patients in the control group. In the intervention group, patients had significantly more knowledge and lower barriers to pain management compared with the control group. We did not find a statistically significant reduction in discordant pain scores when comparing the intervention group with the control group. However, patients in the intervention group had significantly lower pain scores, lower barriers, and more knowledge of pain treatment than patients in the control group., (Copyright © 2015 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the direct and indirect relationships between first-case tardiness (or "late start"), turnover time, underused operating room (OR) time, and raw utilization, as well as to determine which indicator had the most negative impact on OR utilization to identify improvement potential. Furthermore, we studied the indirect relationships of the three indicators of "nonoperative" time on OR utilization, to recognize possible "trickle down" effects during the day., Materials and Methods: (Multiple) linear regression analysis and mediation effect analysis were applied to a data set from all eight University Medical Centers in the Netherlands. This data set consisted of 190,071 OR days (on which 623,871 surgical cases were performed)., Results: Underused OR time at the end of the day had the strongest influence on raw utilization, followed by late start and turnover time. The relationships between the three "nonoperative" time indicators were negligible. The impact of the partial indirect effects of "nonoperative" time indicators on raw utilization were statistically significant, but relatively small. The "trickle down" effect that late start can cause resulting in an increased delay as the day progresses, was not supported by our results., Conclusions: The study findings clearly suggest that OR utilization can be improved by focusing on the reduction of underused OR time at the end of the day. Improving the prediction of total procedure time, improving OR scheduling by, for example, altering the sequencing of operations, changing patient cancellation policies, and flexible staffing of ORs adjusted to patient needs, are means to reduce "nonoperative" time., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In a large cluster-randomized trial on the impact of a prediction model, presenting the calculated risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) on-screen (assistive approach) increased the administration of risk-dependent PONV prophylaxis by anaesthetists. This change in therapeutic decision-making did not improve the patient outcome; that is, the incidence of PONV. The present study aimed to quantify the effects of adding a specific therapeutic recommendation to the predicted risk (directive approach) on PONV prophylaxis decision-making and the incidence of PONV., Methods: A prospective before-after study was conducted in 1483 elective surgical inpatients. The before-period included care-as-usual and the after-period included the directive risk-based (intervention) strategy. Risk-dependent effects on the administered number of prophylactic antiemetics and incidence of PONV were analysed by mixed-effects regression analysis., Results: During the intervention period anaesthetists administered 0.5 [95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.4-0.6] more antiemetics for patients identified as being at greater risk of PONV. This directive approach led to a reduction in PONV [odds ratio (OR): 0.60, 95% CI: 0.43-0.83], with an even greater reduction in PONV in high-risk patients (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.28-0.72)., Conclusions: Anaesthetists administered more prophylactic antiemetics when a directive approach was used for risk-tailored intervention compared with care-as-usual. In contrast to the previously studied assistive approach, the increase in PONV prophylaxis now resulted in a lower PONV incidence, particularly in high-risk patients. When one aims for a truly 'PONV-free hospital', a more liberal use of prophylactic antiemetics must be accepted and lower-risk thresholds should be set for the actionable recommendations., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Untreated postoperative urinary retention can result in permanent lower urinary tract dysfunction and can be prevented by timely bladder catheterization. The author hypothesized that the incidence of postoperative bladder catheterization can be decreased by using the patient's own maximum bladder capacity (MBC) instead of a fixed bladder volume of 500 ml as a threshold for catheterization., Methods: Randomized parallel-arm and single-blinded comparative effectiveness trial conducted in 1,840 surgical patients, operated under general or spinal anesthesia without an indwelling urinary catheter. Patients were randomized to either use their individual MBC (index) or a fixed bladder volume of 500 ml (control) as a threshold for postoperative bladder catheterization. Preoperatively, the MBC was determined at home by voiding in a calibrated bowl. All other bladder volumes were measured by ultrasound. Postoperatively, bladder catheterization was performed when spontaneous voiding was impossible, and the ultrasound measurement exceeded the threshold for the group in which the patient was randomized (500 or MBC). The primary outcome was the incidence of bladder catheterization., Results: The average MBC in the control group was 582 ml (±199 ml) and in the index group 611 ml (±209 ml). The incidence of catheterization decreased from 11.8% (107 of 909 patients) in the control group to 8.6% (80 of 931) in the index group (relative risk 0.73, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.96, P = 0.025). There were no adverse events in either group., Conclusions: In patients undergoing surgery under general or spinal anesthesia using the MBC rather than a fixed 500 ml threshold for bladder catheterization is a safe approach that significantly reduces the incidence of postoperative bladder catheterizations.

Background: In older patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery, the timely identification and preparation of patients at risk for frequent postoperative hospital complications provide opportunities to reduce the risk of these complications., Aims: We developed an evidence-based, multi-component nursing intervention (Prevention of Decline in Older Cardiac Surgery Patients; the PREDOCS programme) for application in the preadmission period to improve patients' physical and psychosocial condition to reduce their risk of postoperative complications. This paper describes in detail the process used to design and develop this multi-component intervention., Methods: In a team of researchers, experts, cardiac surgeons, registered cardiac surgery nurses, and patients, the revised guidelines for developing and evaluating complex interventions of the Medical Research Council (MRC) were followed, including identifying existing evidence, identifying and developing theory and modelling the process and outcomes. Additionally, the criteria for reporting the development of complex interventions in healthcare (CReDECI) were followed., Results: The intervention is administered during a consultation by the nurse two to four weeks before the surgery procedure. The consultation includes three parts: a general part for all patients, a second part in which patients with an increased risk are identified, and a third part in which selected patients are informed about how to prepare themselves for the hospital admission to reduce their risk., Conclusions: Following the MRC guidelines, an extended, stepwise, multi-method procedure was used to develop the multi-component nursing intervention to prepare older patients for cardiac surgery, creating transparency in the assumed working mechanisms. Additionally, a detailed description of the intervention is provided., (© The European Society of Cardiology 2013.)