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Introduction: Hyperoxia after cardiac arrest may be associated with higher mortality, and trials have found that excess oxygen administration in patients with myocardial infarction is associated with increased infarct size. The effect of hyperoxia before cardiac arrest is sparsely investigated. Our aim was to assess the association between excessive oxygen administration before cardiac arrest and the extent of subsequent myocardial injury., Methods: We performed a retrospective study including patients who had in-hospital cardiac arrest during 2014 in the Capital Region of Denmark. We excluded patients without peripheral oxygen saturation measurements within 48 hours before cardiac arrest. Patients were divided in three groups of pre-arrest oxygen exposure, based on average peripheral oxygen saturation and supplemental oxygen. Primary outcome was peak troponin concentration within 30 days. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression and Wilcoxon rank sum test., Results: Of 163 patients with cardiac arrest, 28 had excessive oxygen administration (17%), 105 had normal oxygen administration (64%) and 30 had insufficient oxygen administration (18%) before cardiac arrest. Peak troponin was median 224 ng/L in the excessive oxygen administration group vs 365 ng/L in the normal oxygen administration group (P = .54); 20 of 28 (71%) in the excessive oxygen administration group died within 30 days compared to 54 of 105 (51%) in the normal oxygen administration group. (OR 1.87, 95% CI 0.56-6.19) CONCLUSIONS: Excessive oxygen administration within 48 hours before in-hospital cardiac arrest was not statistically associated with significantly higher peak troponin or mortality., (© 2019 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: The post-anaesthetic phase is most often uncomplicated, but patients may experience inadequate emergence (IE) characterized by unrest, restlessness, aggressiveness or in contrast sedation or lack of initiative. This may increase length of stay (LOS) and post-operative complications. The aim of this study was to investigate frequency, risk factors and consequences of IE., Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study including 1000 orthopaedic and abdominal surgical patients, screened with the Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (Nu-DESC) before induction of anaesthesia, at arrival at the post-operative care unit, and just before discharge from PACU. IE was defined as a Nu-DESC score ≥2 after surgery. Predictors included surgical procedure, type and duration of anaesthesia, age, ASA-score, sex and post-operative pain. Data were analysed during adjusted logistic regression and Wilcoxon rank sum test, the primary outcome being LOS., Results: IE occurred in 103 of 1000 patients (10.3%, 95% CI 8.6-12.3%). LOS was median 2 vs 1 day in patients with and without IE, mean difference was 1.3 (SD 6.2) days (P = 0.036). Thirty-day mortality was 2.9 vs 1.0% (P = 0.92) and admission to ICU 1.0 vs 0.9% (P = 0.66) in patients with and without IE. Significant associations to IE were found for inhalational anaesthetics (OR 2.65; 95% CI: 1.57-4.46), duration of anaesthesia ≥2 hours (OR 1.98; 95% CI: 1.14-3.44) and ASA-score ≥3 (OR 2.74; 95% CI: 1.64-4.57)., Conclusion: One of 10 patients had IE as defined by the Nu-DESC score, which was significantly associated with increased LOS. Longer duration of anaesthesia, inhalational anaesthesia and ASA ≥3 were significantly associated to this., (© 2019 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In this review, we discuss transnasal sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block: a new, simple and minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) by applying local anaesthesia through the patient's nose to the nasopharynx. PDPH is a severe and disabling complication sometimes caused by lumbar puncture or unintentional dural puncture. Current treatment includes epidural blood patch, which is an invasive and resource-demanding procedure with the potential of causing severe complications such as infection and paralysis. SPG block seems to be effective and may ease and improve the treatment of PDPH.

Background: Simulation-based medical education, often used for teaching teamwork, can be conducted in different settings: off-site (simulation centers or other settings away from clinical units) or in situ (real clinical environment), where the latter can be either announced or unannounced. Simulation in general, but especially unannounced in situ simulation, has been described as stressful and stress can affect learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate feasibility and the perception of learning and stress., Methods: Sixteen standardized in situ simulations were planned in an emergency department on eight predetermined dates, with one unannounced and one announced simulation per day. Authentic ad hoc teams were formed based on the on-call staff and included doctors, nurses, radiographers, biochemist, porters, and secretaries. Data were collected using questionnaires and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory., Results: Eleven of the 16 in situ simulations were completed. Self-perceived learning was "good" or "very good" for 27/47 (57%) participants and 33/50 (66%) in unannounced vs announced in situ simulation (P = 0.33). Two of 47 (4%) in unannounced in situ simulation "agreed or partly agreed" that in situ simulation was stressful or unpleasant vs 12/50 (24%) in announced in situ simulation (P = 0.06)., Conclusion: No significant difference was found between unannounced and announced in situ simulation among emergency department staff according to self-perceived learning and self-perceived stress. This is relevant for the future planning of simulation when considering what is to be achieved from implementing different designs for simulation-based medical education., (© 2019 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Perioperative hyperoxia has been linked to increased long-term mortality. Vasoconstrictive and cellular side effects to hyperoxia have been suggested to increase the risk of coronary and cerebral ischemia. The aim of this post-hoc analysis of a large randomized trial was to compare the effects of 80% vs 30% perioperative oxygen on the long-term risk of stroke or transient cerebral ischemia (TCI) in patients undergoing abdominal surgery., Methods: A total of 1386 patients were randomized to 80% or 30% perioperative oxygen during acute or elective open abdominal surgery. Median follow-up was 3.9 years. Primary outcome was a composite of the long-term occurrence of stroke or TCI. Secondary outcomes included long-term mortality without stroke or TCI, and incidences of neurological admission, psychiatric admission, and dementia. Outcomes were analyzed in Cox regression models., Results: Stroke or TCI occurred in 20 (3.0%) patients given 80% oxygen vs 22 (3.2%) patients given 30% oxygen with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.96 [95% CI 0.52-1.76]. Composite secondary outcome of death, stroke, or TCI had a HR of 1.21 [95% CI 1.00-1.47] for 80% compared to 30% oxygen. HRs for secondary outcomes were HR 1.14 [95% CI 0.79-1.64] for neurological admission, 1.34 [95% CI 0.95-1.88] for psychiatric admission and 0.54 [95% CI 0.16-1.80] for dementia., Conclusion: Stroke or TCI did not seem related to perioperative inspiratory oxygen fraction. Due to few events, this study cannot exclude that perioperative hyperoxia increases risk of mortality, stroke, or TCI after abdominal surgery., (© 2018 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Early Warning Score (EWS) are used extensively to identify patients at risk of deterioration during hospital admission. The validation of EWS has primarily focused on investigating predictive validity, i.e. the association between EWS and severe adverse events. Few studies have tested, whether EWS work in the clinical setting, and if it prevents severe adverse events from occurring. Many of these studies have methodological limitations, and their clinical relevance could be questioned. Currently, there is limited evidence to support, that the implementation of EWS reduces the occurrence of severe adverse events.

Introduction: Millions of patients undergo major abdominal surgery worldwide each year, and the post-operative phase carries a high risk of respiratory and circulatory complications. Standard ward observation of patients includes vital sign registration at regular intervals. Patients may deteriorate between measurements, and this may be detected by continuous monitoring. The aim of this study was to compare the number of micro events detected by continuous monitoring to those documented by the widely used standardized Early Warning Score (EWS)., Methods: Fifty patients were continuously monitored with peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ), heart rate (HR), and respiratory rate (RR) the first 4 days after major abdominal cancer surgery. EWS was monitored as routine practice. Number and duration of events were analyzed using Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon rank sum test., Results: Continuous monitoring detected a SpO 2 <92% in 98% of patients vs 16% of patients detected by EWS (P < .0001). Micro events of SpO 2 <92% lasting longer than 60 minutes were found in 58% of patients by continuous monitoring vs 16% by the EWS (P < .0001). Fifty-two percent of patients had micro events of SpO 2 <85% lasting longer than 10 minutes. Continuous monitoring found tachycardia in 60% of patients vs 6% by the EWS. Frequency of events for bradycardia, tachypnea, and bradypnea showed similar patterns., Conclusion: Very low SpO 2 and tachycardia in post-operative patients are common and under-diagnosed by the EWS. Continuous monitoring can discover these micro events and potentially contribute to earlier detection and, potentially, result in prevention of clinical complications., (© 2018 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The aim of this study was to develop a predictive algorithm detecting early signs of deterioration (ESODs) in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), thus being able to intervene earlier in the future to avoid serious adverse events. The algorithm must utilize continuously collected cardiopulmonary vital signs and may serve as an alternative to current practice, in which an alarm is activated by single parameters., Methods: The study was a single center, prospective cohort study including 178 patients admitted to the PACU after major surgical procedures. Peripheral blood oxygenation, arterial blood pressure, perfusion index, heart rate and respiratory rate were monitored continuously. Potential ESODs were automatically detected and scored by two independent experts with regards to the severity of the observation. Based on features extracted from the obtained measurements, a random forest classifier was trained, classifying each event being either an ESOD or not an ESOD. The algorithm was evaluated and compared to the automated single modality alarm system at the PACU., Results: The algorithm detected ESODs with an accuracy of 92.2% (99% CI: 89.6%-94.8%), sensitivity of 90.6% (99% CI: 85.7%-95.5%), specificity of 93.0% (99% CI: 89.9%-96.2%) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 96.9% (99% CI: 95.3%-98.5%). The number of false alarms decreased by 85% (99% CI: 77%-93%) and the number of missed ESODs decreased by 73% (99% CI: 61%-85%) as compared to the currently used alarm system in the hospital. The algorithm was able to detect an ESOD in average 26.4 (99% CI: 1.1-51.7) minutes before the current single parameter system used in the PACU., Conclusion: In conclusion, the proposed biomedical classification algorithm, when compared to the currently used single parameter alarm system of the hospital, showed significantly increased performance in both detecting ESODs fast and classifying these correctly. The clinical effect of the predictive system must be evaluated in future trials., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Post-operative sepsis considerably increases mortality, but the extent of pre-operative sepsis in hip fracture patients and its consequences are sparsely elucidated. The aim of this study was to assess the association between pre-operative sepsis and 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data collected among 1894 patients who underwent hip fracture surgery in the Capital Region of Denmark in 2014 (NCT03201679). Data on vital signs, cultures and laboratory data were obtained. Sepsis was defined as a positive culture of any kind and presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome within 24 hours and was assessed within 72 hours before surgery and 30 days post-operatively. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay and admission to intensive care unit., Results: A total of 144 (7.6%) of the hip fracture patients met the criteria for pre-operative sepsis. The 30-day mortality was 13.9% in patients with pre-operative sepsis as compared to 9.0% in those without (OR 1.69, 95% CI [1.00; 2.85], P = .08). Patients with pre-operative sepsis had longer hospital stays (median 10 days vs 9 days, mean difference 2.1 [SD 9.4] days, P = .03), and higher frequency of ICU admission (11.1% vs 2.7%, OR 4.15, 95% CI [2.19; 7.87], P < .0001)., Conclusion: Pre-operative sepsis in hip fracture patients was associated with an increased length of hospital stay and tended to increase mortality. Pre-operative sepsis in hip fracture patients merits more intensive surveillance and increased attention to timely treatment., (© 2018 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Oxygen therapy is used liberally for all patients undergoing anaesthesia. Recent studies have raised concerns that it may not be without complications when arterial oxygen concentrations reach supranormal concentrations (hyperoxia). Studies of oxygen therapy have raised concerns that the risk of myocardial injury and infarction is elevated in patients with hyperoxia due to vasoconstriction and formation of reactive oxygen species. Due to lack of symptoms or silent ischaemia, post-operative myocardial injury may be missed clinically. In some studies, perioperative hyperoxia has been linked to increased long-term mortality, but cardiac complications are sparsely evaluated. The aim of this review is to summarize current evidence to assess the risk and benefits of perioperative hyperoxia on post-operative cardiac complications., Methods: This systematic review will include meta-analyses and Trial Sequential Analyses. We will include randomized clinical trials with patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery if the allocation separates patients into a target of either higher (above 0.60) or lower (below 0.40) inspired oxygen fraction. To minimize the risk of systematic error, we will assess the risk of bias of the included trials using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The overall quality of evidence for each outcome will be assessed with the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE)., Discussion: This systematic review will provide data on a severe, albeit rare, potential risk of oxygen therapy. We will do a trial sequential analysis to assess the robustness of results as well as help estimate the required patient size for future clinical trials., (© 2018 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: In critically ill patients, hypoxaemia is a common clinical manifestation of inadequate gas exchange in the lungs. Supplemental oxygen is therefore given to all critically ill patients. This can result in hyperoxaemia, and some observational studies have identified harms with hyperoxia. The objective of this systematic review is to critically assess the evidence of randomised clinical trials on the effects of higher versus lower inspiratory oxygen fractions or targets of arterial oxygenation in critically ill adult patients., Methods: We will search for randomised clinical trials in major international databases. Two authors will independently screen and select references for inclusion using Covidence, extract data and assess the methodological quality of the included randomised clinical trials using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Any disagreement will be resolved by consensus. We will analyse the extracted data using Review Manager and Trial Sequential Analysis. To assess the quality of the evidence, we will create a 'Summary of Findings' table containing our primary and secondary outcomes using the GRADE assessment., Discussion: Supplemental oxygen administration is widely recommended in international guidelines despite lack of robust evidence of its effectiveness. To our knowledge, no systematic review of randomised clinical trials has investigated the effects of oxygen supplementation in critically ill patients. This systematic review will provide reliable evidence to better inform future trialists and decision-makers on clinical practice on supplemental oxygen administration in critically ill patients., (© 2018 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Use of supplemental oxygen during surgery to reduce the incidence of SSI was investigated in the PROXI trial, which found no reduced frequency of SSI. Subsequently, it has been suggested that a restrictive fluid regimen and hypothermia in some patients could explain why no beneficial effect of supplemental oxygen was found. We evaluated the association between the occurrence of SSI and two perioperative factors, volume of infused fluid and body temperature (BT). Methods: We used data from the PROXI trial including 1,386 patients undergoing laparotomy randomly assigned to receive 80% or 30% oxygen during surgery. A fluid infusion index (FII) was calculated for each patient as the volume of infused fluids/body weight/duration of surgery. Results: SSI occurred in 18.9% of the patients in the lower FII tertile group (OR=0.86; P=0.41), in 20.4% in the upper FII tertile group (OR=1.49; P=0.05), in 19.7% of the patients with hypothermia (OR=1.28; P=0.25) and in 25.0% with hyperthermia (OR=1.26; P=0.52). An increased risk of SSI (OR=3.15; P=0.01) was found in patients having both hypothermia and emergency surgery., Conclusion: A trend towards an increased risk of SSI was seen in patients who received a greater volume of intravenous fluid. No association was found between BT and SSI., (Celsius.)

Background: Myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) increases the risk of cardiovascular events and deaths, which anticoagulation therapy could prevent. Dabigatran prevents perioperative venous thromboembolism, but whether this drug can prevent a broader range of vascular complications in patients with MINS is unknown. The MANAGE trial assessed the potential of dabigatran to prevent major vascular complications among such patients., Methods: In this international, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited patients from 84 hospitals in 19 countries. Eligible patients were aged at least 45 years, had undergone non-cardiac surgery, and were within 35 days of MINS. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive dabigatran 110 mg orally twice daily or matched placebo for a maximum of 2 years or until termination of the trial and, using a partial 2-by-2 factorial design, patients not taking a proton-pump inhibitor were also randomly assigned (1:1) to omeprazole 20 mg once daily, for which results will be reported elsewhere, or matched placebo to measure its effect on major upper gastrointestinal complications. Research personnel randomised patients through a central 24 h computerised randomisation system using block randomisation, stratified by centre. Patients, health-care providers, data collectors, and outcome adjudicators were masked to treatment allocation. The primary efficacy outcome was the occurrence of a major vascular complication, a composite of vascular mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-haemorrhagic stroke, peripheral arterial thrombosis, amputation, and symptomatic venous thromboembolism. The primary safety outcome was a composite of life-threatening, major, and critical organ bleeding. Analyses were done according to the intention-to-treat principle. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01661101., Findings: Between Jan 10, 2013, and July 17, 2017, we randomly assigned 1754 patients to receive dabigatran (n=877) or placebo (n=877); 556 patients were also randomised in the omeprazole partial factorial component. Study drug was permanently discontinued in 401 (46%) of 877 patients allocated to dabigatran and 380 (43%) of 877 patients allocated to placebo. The composite primary efficacy outcome occurred in fewer patients randomised to dabigatran than placebo (97 [11%] of 877 patients assigned to dabigatran vs 133 [15%] of 877 patients assigned to placebo; hazard ratio [HR] 0·72, 95% CI 0·55-0·93; p=0·0115). The primary safety composite outcome occurred in 29 patients (3%) randomised to dabigatran and 31 patients (4%) randomised to placebo (HR 0·92, 95% CI 0·55-1·53; p=0·76)., Interpretation: Among patients who had MINS, dabigatran 110 mg twice daily lowered the risk of major vascular complications, with no significant increase in major bleeding. Patients with MINS have a poor prognosis; dabigatran 110 mg twice daily has the potential to help many of the 8 million adults globally who have MINS to reduce their risk of a major vascular complication [corrected]., Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim and Canadian Institutes of Health Research., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) and other postoperative complications are associated with high costs, morbidity, secondary surgery, and mortality. Many studies have identified factors that may prevent SSI and pulmonary complications, but it is important to know when they in fact occur. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic timing of surgical site infections and pulmonary complications after laparotomy., Material and Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the PROXI trial which was a randomized clinical trial conducted in 1400 patients undergoing elective or emergent laparotomy. Patients were randomly allocated to either 80% or 30% perioperative inspiratory oxygen fraction., Results: SSI or pulmonary complications were diagnosed in 24.2% (95% CI: 22.0%-26.5%) of the patients at a median of 9 days [IQR: 5-15] after surgery. Most common was surgical site infection (19.6%); median time 10 days after surgery [IQR: 7-18]. The corresponding figures for anastomotic leakage was 5.7%, 8 days [IQR: 6-10]; pneumonia 3.5%, 5 days [IQR: 3-9]; and respiratory failure 2.3%, 3 days [IQR: 1-8]. The oxygen allocation was not significantly related to time of diagnosis for postoperative surgical site infections or pulmonary complications., Conclusion: A high percentage of patients undergoing laparotomy develop a postoperative complication. This study adds new knowledge by identifying time intervals within which medical professionals should be aware of surgical site infections and pulmonary complications in order to initiate appropriate treatment of the patients., (Copyright © 2018 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Worldwide approximately 200 million adults undergo major surgery annually, of whom 8 million are estimated to suffer a myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS). There is currently no trial data informing the management of MINS. Antithrombotic agents such as direct oral anticoagulants might prevent major vascular complications in patients with MINS., Methods: The Management of Myocardial Injury After Noncardiac Surgery (MANAGE) trial is a large international blinded randomized controlled trial of dabigatran vs placebo in patients who suffered MINS. We used a partial factorial design to also determine the effect of omeprazole vs placebo in reducing upper gastrointestinal bleeding and complications. Both study drugs were initiated in eligible patients within 35 days of suffering MINS and continued for a maximum of 2 years. The primary outcome is a composite of major vascular complications for the dabigatran trial and a composite of upper gastrointestinal complications for the omeprazole trial. We present the rationale and design of the trial and baseline characteristics of enrolled patients., Results: The trial randomized 1754 patients between January 2013 and July 2017. Patients' mean age was 69.9 years, 51.1% were male, 14.3% had a history of peripheral artery disease, 6.6% had a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack, 12.9% had a previous myocardial infarction, and 26.0% had diabetes. The diagnosis of MINS was on the basis of an isolated ischemic troponin elevation in 80.4% of participants., Conclusion: MANAGE is the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate a potential treatment of patients who suffered MINS., (Copyright © 2018 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Uncertainty remains about the effects of aspirin in patients with prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) having noncardiac surgery., Objective: To evaluate benefits and harms of perioperative aspirin in patients with prior PCI., Design: Nonprespecified subgroup analysis of a multicenter factorial trial. Computerized Internet randomization was done between 2010 and 2013. Patients, clinicians, data collectors, and outcome adjudicators were blinded to treatment assignment. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01082874)., Setting: 135 centers in 23 countries., Patients: Adults aged 45 years or older who had or were at risk for atherosclerotic disease and were having noncardiac surgery. Exclusions were placement of a bare-metal stent within 6 weeks, placement of a drug-eluting stent within 1 year, or receipt of nonstudy aspirin within 72 hours before surgery., Intervention: Aspirin therapy (overall trial, n = 4998; subgroup, n = 234) or placebo (overall trial, n = 5012; subgroup, n = 236) initiated within 4 hours before surgery and continued throughout the perioperative period. Of the 470 subgroup patients, 99.9% completed follow-up., Measurements: The 30-day primary outcome was death or nonfatal myocardial infarction; bleeding was a secondary outcome., Results: In patients with prior PCI, aspirin reduced the risk for the primary outcome (absolute risk reduction, 5.5% [95% CI, 0.4% to 10.5%]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.50 [CI, 0.26 to 0.95]; P for interaction = 0.036) and for myocardial infarction (absolute risk reduction, 5.9% [CI, 1.0% to 10.8%]; HR, 0.44 [CI, 0.22 to 0.87]; P for interaction = 0.021). The effect on the composite of major and life-threatening bleeding in patients with prior PCI was uncertain (absolute risk increase, 1.3% [CI, -2.6% to 5.2%]). In the overall population, aspirin increased the risk for major bleeding (absolute risk increase, 0.8% [CI, 0.1% to 1.6%]; HR, 1.22 [CI, 1.01 to 1.48]; P for interaction = 0.50)., Limitation: Nonprespecified subgroup analysis with small sample., Conclusion: Perioperative aspirin may be more likely to benefit rather than harm patients with prior PCI., Primary Funding Source: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Background: The relative contributions of intraoperative and postoperative hypotension to perioperative morbidity remain unclear. We determined the association between hypotension and a composite of 30-day myocardial infarction and death over three periods: (1) intraoperative, (2) remaining day of surgery, and (3) during the initial four postoperative days., Methods: This was a substudy of POISE-2, a 10,010-patient factorial-randomized trial of aspirin and clonidine for prevention of myocardial infarction. Clinically important hypotension was defined as systolic blood pressure less than 90 mmHg requiring treatment. Minutes of hypotension was the exposure variable intraoperatively and for the remaining day of surgery, whereas hypotension status was treated as binary variable for postoperative days 1 to 4. We estimated the average relative effect of hypotension across components of the composite using a distinct effect generalized estimating model, adjusting for hypotension during earlier periods., Results: Among 9,765 patients, 42% experienced hypotension, 590 (6.0%) had an infarction, and 116 (1.2%) died within 30 days of surgery. Intraoperatively, the estimated average relative effect across myocardial infarction and mortality was 1.08 (98.3% CI, 1.03, 1.12; P < 0.001) per 10-min increase in hypotension duration. For the remaining day of surgery, the odds ratio was 1.03 (98.3% CI, 1.01, 1.05; P < 0.001) per 10-min increase in hypotension duration. The average relative effect odds ratio was 2.83 (98.3% CI, 1.26, 6.35; P = 0.002) in patients with hypotension during the subsequent four days of hospitalization., Conclusions: Clinically important hypotension-a potentially modifiable exposure-was significantly associated with a composite of myocardial infarction and death during each of three perioperative periods, even after adjustment for previous hypotension.

Surgical interventions come with complications and highly reported mortality after major surgery. The mortality may be a result of delayed detection of severe complications due to lower monitoring frequency in the general wards. Several studies have shown that continuous monitoring is superior to the manually intermittent recorded monitoring in terms of detecting abnormal physiological signs. Hopefully improved observations may result in earlier detection and clinical intervention. This narrative review will describe current monitoring possibilities for postoperative patients and how it may prevent complications. Several wireless systems are being developed for monitoring vital parameters, but many of these are not yet validated for critically ill patients. The ultimate goal with patient monitoring and detect of events is to prevent postoperative complications, death and costs in the health care system. A few studies indicate that monitoring systems detect deteriorating patients earlier than the nurses, and this was associated with less clinical instability. An important caveat of future devices is to assess their effect in relevant patient populations and not only in healthy test-subjects. Implementation of novel technologies is expensive although expected to be cost-effective if just few adverse events can be prevented. The future is here with promising devices and the possibility to give an unprecedented precise risk estimation of adverse post-surgical events. Next step is to integrate existing evidence based treatment algorithms to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of implementing the new technology., (Copyright © 2017 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: High inspiratory oxygen fraction ( FIO2 ) may improve tissue oxygenation but also impair pulmonary function. We aimed to assess whether the use of high intraoperative FIO2 increases the risk of major respiratory complications., Methods: We studied patients undergoing non-cardiothoracic surgery involving mechanical ventilation in this hospital-based registry study. The cases were divided into five groups based on the median FIO2 between intubation and extubation. The primary outcome was a composite of major respiratory complications (re-intubation, respiratory failure, pulmonary oedema, and pneumonia) developed within 7 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality. Several predefined covariates were included in a multivariate logistic regression model., Results: The primary analysis included 73 922 cases, of whom 3035 (4.1%) developed a major respiratory complication within 7 days of surgery. For patients in the high- and low-oxygen groups, the median FIO2 was 0.79 [range 0.64-1.00] and 0.31 [0.16-0.34], respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the median FIO2 was associated in a dose-dependent manner with increased risk of respiratory complications (adjusted odds ratio for high vs low FIO2 1.99, 95% confidence interval [1.72-2.31], P -value for trend <0.001). This finding was robust in a series of sensitivity analyses including adjustment for intraoperative oxygenation. High median FIO2 was also associated with 30-day mortality (odds ratio for high vs low FIO2 1.97, 95% confidence interval [1.30-2.99], P -value for trend <0.001)., Conclusions: In this analysis of administrative data on file, high intraoperative FIO2 was associated in a dose-dependent manner with major respiratory complications and with 30-day mortality. The effect remained stable in a sensitivity analysis controlled for oxygenation., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02399878., (© 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)

Myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Routine troponin screening is necessary to identify patients with MINS. Although some evidence indicates benefit with aspirin and statin therapy in these patients, a number of clinical considerations must be done in the practical management of MINS. This article describes current experience with identification and treatment in Denmark of patients with MINS.

Background: Increased long-term mortality was found in patients exposed to perioperative hyperoxia in the PROXI trial, where patients undergoing laparotomy were randomised to 80% versus 30% oxygen during and after surgery. This post hoc follow-up study assessed the impact of perioperative hyperoxia on long-term risk of cardiovascular events., Methods: A total of 1386 patients undergoing either elective or emergency laparotomy were randomised to 80% versus 30% oxygen during and two hours after surgery. At follow-up, the primary outcome of acute coronary syndrome was assessed. Secondary outcomes included myocardial infarction, other heart disease, and acute coronary syndrome or death. Data were analysed in the Cox proportional hazards model., Results: The primary outcome, acute coronary syndrome, occurred in 2.5% versus 1.3% in the 80% versus 30% oxygen group; HR 2.15 (95% CI 0.96-4.84). Patients in the 80% oxygen group had significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction; HR 2.86 (95% CI 1.10-7.44), other heart disease; HR 1.40 (95% 1.06-1.83), and acute coronary syndrome or death; HR 1.22 (95% CI 1.01-1.49)., Conclusions: Perioperative hyperoxia may be associated with an increased long-term risk of myocardial infarction and other heart disease., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: We assessed associations between intraoperative neuraxial block and postoperative epidural analgesia, and a composite primary outcome of death or non-fatal myocardial infarction, at 30 days post-randomization in POISE-2 Trial subjects., Methods: 10 010 high-risk noncardiac surgical patients were randomized aspirin or placebo and clonidine or placebo. Neuraxial block was defined as intraoperative spinal anaesthesia, or thoracic or lumbar epidural anaesthesia. Postoperative epidural analgesia was defined as postoperative epidural local anaesthetic and/or opioid administration. We used logistic regression with weighting using estimated propensity scores., Results: Neuraxial block was not associated with the primary outcome [7.5% vs 6.5%; odds ratio (OR), 0.89; 95% CI (confidence interval), 0.73-1.08; P=0.24], death (1.0% vs 1.4%; OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.53-1.35; P=0.48), myocardial infarction (6.9% vs 5.5%; OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.74-1.12; P=0.36) or stroke (0.3% vs 0.4%; OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.44-2.49; P=0.91). Neuraxial block was associated with less clinically important hypotension (39% vs 46%; OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.81-1.00; P=0.04). Postoperative epidural analgesia was not associated with the primary outcome (11.8% vs 6.2%; OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.89-2.48; P=0.13), death (1.3% vs 0.8%; OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.35-1.99; P=0.68], myocardial infarction (11.0% vs 5.7%; OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 0.90-2.61; P=0.11], stroke (0.4% vs 0.4%; OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.18-2.32; P=0.50] or clinically important hypotension (63% vs 36%; OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 0.95-2.09; P=0.09)., Conclusions: Neuraxial block and postoperative epidural analgesia were not associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes among POISE-2 subjects., (© The Author 2015. 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: Supplemental oxygen therapy is used for intensive care (ICU) patients with severe sepsis, but with no general guidelines and few safety data. The aim of this observational study was to describe the variability in oxygen administration as well as the association between partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2 ) and mortality., Methods: We extracted data from two Scandinavian clinical trials of ICU patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. We calculated average PaO2 and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2 ) from trial inclusion and the following 5 days, and assessed the association between PaO2 and 90-day mortality., Results: The median PaO2 was 9.8 kPa [5-95% range 6.4-19.9] and FiO2 was 0.51 [5-95% range 0.27-1.00], respectively. Eight hundred and five of 1,770 patients (45%) died. The relative risk of mortality was 1.43 [95% CI: 1.19-1.65] in patients with average PaO2 < 8 kPa and 1.29 [95% CI: 0.84-1.68] in patients with average PaO2 ≥ 16 kPa, as compared to patients with average PaO2 10-12 kPa. The relative risk of mortality was 1.38 [95% CI: 1.17-1.58] in patients with an average FiO2 0.60-0.80 and 2.10 [95% CI: 1.88-2.23] in patients with an average FiO2  ≥ 0.80 as compared to patients with an average FiO2  ≤ 0.40., Conclusion: Administration of oxygen in patients with severe sepsis resulted in a wide range of PaO2 . Significantly higher mortality was observed in patients with an average PaO2 < 8 kPa and FiO2 ≥ 0.60. The results do not imply causation and the associations between average PaO2 and adverse outcomes have to be assessed further., (© 2015 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Available evidence on the effects of a high fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) of 60% to 90% compared with a routine fraction of inspired oxygen of 30% to 40%, during anaesthesia and surgery, on mortality and surgical site infection has been inconclusive. Previous trials and meta-analyses have led to different conclusions on whether a high fraction of supplemental inspired oxygen during anaesthesia may decrease or increase mortality and surgical site infections in surgical patients., Objectives: To assess the benefits and harms of an FIO2 equal to or greater than 60% compared with a control FIO2 at or below 40% in the perioperative setting in terms of mortality, surgical site infection, respiratory insufficiency, serious adverse events and length of stay during the index admission for adult surgical patients.We looked at various outcomes, conducted subgroup and sensitivity analyses, examined the role of bias and applied trial sequential analysis (TSA) to examine the level of evidence supporting or refuting a high FIO2 during surgery, anaesthesia and recovery., Search Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, International Web of Science, the Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Database (LILACS), advanced Google and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) up to February 2014. We checked the references of included trials and reviews for unidentified relevant trials and reran the searches in March 2015. We will consider two studies of interest when we update the review., Selection Criteria: We included randomized clinical trials that compared a high fraction of inspired oxygen with a routine fraction of inspired oxygen during anaesthesia, surgery and recovery in individuals 18 years of age or older., Data Collection and Analysis: Two review authors extracted data independently. We conducted random-effects and fixed-effect meta-analyses, and for dichotomous outcomes, we calculated risk ratios (RRs). We used published data and data obtained by contacting trial authors.To minimize the risk of systematic error, we assessed the risk of bias of the included trials. To reduce the risk of random errors caused by sparse data and repetitive updating of cumulative meta-analyses, we applied trial sequential analyses. We used Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) to assess the quality of the evidence., Main Results: We included 28 randomized clinical trials (9330 participants); in the 21 trials reporting relevant outcomes for this review, 7597 participants were randomly assigned to a high fraction of inspired oxygen versus a routine fraction of inspired oxygen.In trials with an overall low risk of bias, a high fraction of inspired oxygen compared with a routine fraction of inspired oxygen was not associated with all-cause mortality (random-effects model: RR 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93 to 1.36; GRADE: low quality) within the longest follow-up and within 30 days of follow-up (Peto odds ratio (OR) 0.99, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.60; GRADE: low quality). In a trial sequential analysis, the required information size was not reached and the analysis could not refute a 20% increase in mortality. Similarly, when all trials were included, a high fraction of inspired oxygen was not associated with all-cause mortality to the longest follow-up (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.33) or within 30 days of follow-up (Peto OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.29), both of very low quality according to GRADE. Neither was a high fraction of inspired oxygen associated with the risk of surgical site infection in trials with low risk of bias (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.17; GRADE: low quality) or in all trials (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.07; GRADE: low quality). A high fraction of inspired oxygen was not associated with respiratory insufficiency (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.99), serious adverse events (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.43) or length of stay (mean difference -0.06 days, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.32 days).In subgroup analyses of nine trials using preoperative antibiotics, a high fraction of inspired oxygen was associated with a decrease in surgical site infections (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.97; GRADE: very low quality); a similar effect was noted in the five trials adequately blinded for the outcome assessment (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.96; GRADE: very low quality). We did not observe an effect of a high fraction of inspired oxygen on surgical site infections in any other subgroup analyses., Authors' Conclusions: As the risk of adverse events, including mortality, may be increased by a fraction of inspired oxygen of 60% or higher, and as robust evidence is lacking for a beneficial effect of a fraction of inspired oxygen of 60% or higher on surgical site infection, our overall results suggest that evidence is insufficient to support the routine use of a high fraction of inspired oxygen during anaesthesia and surgery. Given the risk of attrition and outcome reporting bias, as well as other weaknesses in the available evidence, further randomized clinical trials with low risk of bias in all bias domains, including a large sample size and long-term follow-up, are warranted.

Importance: Acute kidney injury, a common complication of surgery, is associated with poor outcomes and high health care costs. Some studies suggest aspirin or clonidine administered during the perioperative period reduces the risk of acute kidney injury; however, these effects are uncertain and each intervention has the potential for harm., Objective: To determine whether aspirin compared with placebo, and clonidine compared with placebo, alters the risk of perioperative acute kidney injury., Design, Setting, and Participants: A 2 × 2 factorial randomized, blinded, clinical trial of 6905 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery from 88 centers in 22 countries with consecutive patients enrolled between January 2011 and December 2013., Interventions: Patients were assigned to take aspirin (200 mg) or placebo 2 to 4 hours before surgery and then aspirin (100 mg) or placebo daily up to 30 days after surgery, and were assigned to take oral clonidine (0.2 mg) or placebo 2 to 4 hours before surgery, and then a transdermal clonidine patch (which provided clonidine at 0.2 mg/d) or placebo patch that remained until 72 hours after surgery., Main Outcomes and Measures: Acute kidney injury was primarily defined as an increase in serum creatinine concentration from the preoperative concentration by either an increase of 0.3 mg/dL or greater (≥26.5 μmol/L) within 48 hours of surgery or an increase of 50% or greater within 7 days of surgery., Results: Aspirin (n = 3443) vs placebo (n = 3462) did not alter the risk of acute kidney injury (13.4% vs 12.3%, respectively; adjusted relative risk, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.96-1.25). Clonidine (n = 3453) vs placebo (n = 3452) did not alter the risk of acute kidney injury (13.0% vs 12.7%, respectively; adjusted relative risk, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.90-1.18). Aspirin increased the risk of major bleeding. In a post hoc analysis, major bleeding was associated with a greater risk of subsequent acute kidney injury (23.3% when bleeding was present vs 12.3% when bleeding was absent; adjusted hazard ratio, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.72-2.83). Similarly, clonidine increased the risk of clinically important hypotension. In a post hoc analysis, clinically important hypotension was associated with a greater risk of subsequent acute kidney injury (14.3% when hypotension was present vs 11.8% when hypotension was absent; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.14-1.58)., Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery, neither aspirin nor clonidine administered perioperatively reduced the risk of acute kidney injury., Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01082874.

Background: Administration of supplemental oxygen in the perioperative period is controversial, as it may increase long-term mortality. Our aim was to assess the association between 80% oxygen and occurrence of subsequent cancer in patients undergoing abdominal surgery in a post hoc analysis of the PROXI trial., Methods: The 1386 patients in the PROXI trial underwent elective or emergency laparotomy between 2006 and 2008 with randomization to either 80% or 30% oxygen during and for 2 h after surgery. We retrieved follow-up status regarding vital status, new cancer diagnoses, and new histological cancer specimens. Data were analysed using the Cox proportional hazards model., Results: Follow-up was complete in 1377 patients (99%) after a median of 3.9 yr. The primary outcome of new cancer diagnosis or new malignant histological specimen occurred in 140 of 678 patients (21%) in the 80% oxygen group vs 150 of 699 patients (21%) assigned to 30% oxygen; hazards ratio 1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84, 1.34], P=0.62. Cancer-free survival was significantly shorter in the 80% oxygen group; hazards ratio 1.19 (95% CI 1.01, 1.42), P=0.04, as was the time between surgery and new cancer, median 335 vs. 434 days in the 30% oxygen group. In patients with localized disease, non-significant differences in cancer and cancer-free survival were found with hazard ratios of 1.31 and 1.29, respectively., Conclusions: Although new cancers occurred at similar rate, the cancer-free survival was significantly shorter in the 80% oxygen group, but this did not appear to explain the excess mortality in the 80% oxygen group., Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01723280)., (© 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: There is substantial variability in the perioperative administration of aspirin in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, both among patients who are already on an aspirin regimen and among those who are not., Methods: Using a 2-by-2 factorial trial design, we randomly assigned 10,010 patients who were preparing to undergo noncardiac surgery and were at risk for vascular complications to receive aspirin or placebo and clonidine or placebo. The results of the aspirin trial are reported here. The patients were stratified according to whether they had not been taking aspirin before the study (initiation stratum, with 5628 patients) or they were already on an aspirin regimen (continuation stratum, with 4382 patients). Patients started taking aspirin (at a dose of 200 mg) or placebo just before surgery and continued it daily (at a dose of 100 mg) for 30 days in the initiation stratum and for 7 days in the continuation stratum, after which patients resumed their regular aspirin regimen. The primary outcome was a composite of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction at 30 days., Results: The primary outcome occurred in 351 of 4998 patients (7.0%) in the aspirin group and in 355 of 5012 patients (7.1%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio in the aspirin group, 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86 to 1.15; P=0.92). Major bleeding was more common in the aspirin group than in the placebo group (230 patients [4.6%] vs. 188 patients [3.8%]; hazard ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.01, to 1.49; P=0.04). The primary and secondary outcome results were similar in the two aspirin strata., Conclusions: Administration of aspirin before surgery and throughout the early postsurgical period had no significant effect on the rate of a composite of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction but increased the risk of major bleeding. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and others; POISE-2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01082874.).

Background: Marked activation of the sympathetic nervous system occurs during and after noncardiac surgery. Low-dose clonidine, which blunts central sympathetic outflow, may prevent perioperative myocardial infarction and death without inducing hemodynamic instability., Methods: We performed a blinded, randomized trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design to allow separate evaluation of low-dose clonidine versus placebo and low-dose aspirin versus placebo in patients with, or at risk for, atherosclerotic disease who were undergoing noncardiac surgery. A total of 10,010 patients at 135 centers in 23 countries were enrolled. For the comparison of clonidine with placebo, patients were randomly assigned to receive clonidine (0.2 mg per day) or placebo just before surgery, with the study drug continued until 72 hours after surgery. The primary outcome was a composite of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction at 30 days., Results: Clonidine, as compared with placebo, did not reduce the number of primary-outcome events (367 and 339, respectively; hazard ratio with clonidine, 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93 to 1.26; P=0.29). Myocardial infarction occurred in 329 patients (6.6%) assigned to clonidine and in 295 patients (5.9%) assigned to placebo (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.30; P=0.18). Significantly more patients in the clonidine group than in the placebo group had clinically important hypotension (2385 patients [47.6%] vs. 1854 patients [37.1%]; hazard ratio 1.32; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.40; P<0.001). Clonidine, as compared with placebo, was associated with an increased rate of nonfatal cardiac arrest (0.3% [16 patients] vs. 0.1% [5 patients]; hazard ratio, 3.20; 95% CI, 1.17 to 8.73; P=0.02)., Conclusions: Administration of low-dose clonidine in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery did not reduce the rate of the composite outcome of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction; it did, however, increase the risk of clinically important hypotension and nonfatal cardiac arrest. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and others; POISE-2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01082874.).

Background: A number of perioperative risk factors may suppress the immune system and contribute to the development of post-operative complications. The association between surgical site infection (SSI) and other wound-related complications resulting from immunosuppression through either perioperative administration of dexamethasone, pre-operative smoking or alcohol abuse is, however, uncertain., Methods: This study was a post hoc analysis of data from the PROXI randomized trial in 1386 patients who underwent emergency or elective laparotomy. We assessed the associations of use of dexamethasone, smoking status and alcohol abuse with the primary outcome, being a composite of SSI, anastomotic leak, wound dehiscence, burst abdomen and 30-day mortality., Results: The primary outcome occurred in 21% of patients receiving dexamethasone versus 28% of patients not receiving dexamethasone, and this was not statistically significant when adjusting for stratification variables originally used in the PROXI trial [OR 0.90, 95% CI (0.65-1.24)]. In smokers, the primary outcome occurred in 32%, compared with 23% of non-smokers (P = 0.0001). Smokers also had a higher frequency of SSI (25% vs 17%, P < 0.0001) and burst abdomen (3.8% vs 2.4%, P = 0.04). In alcohol abusers, the primary outcome occurred in 48%, compared with 25% in patients who did not abuse alcohol (P = 0.0006). Burst abdomen occurred more commonly in alcohol abusers (15% vs 2.3%, P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Perioperative administration of dexamethasone was not significantly associated with SSI or other wound-related complications. Conversely, smoking and alcohol abuse were both significant predictors of the primary outcome consisting of wound-related complications and mortality., (© 2014 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Perioperative Ischaemic Evaluation-2 (POISE-2) is an international 2×2 factorial randomised controlled trial of low-dose aspirin versus placebo and low-dose clonidine versus placebo in patients who undergo non-cardiac surgery. Perioperative aspirin (and possibly clonidine) may reduce the risk of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI)., Methods and Analysis: After receipt of grant funding, serial postoperative serum creatinine measurements began to be recorded in consecutive patients enrolled at substudy participating centres. With respect to the study schedule, the last of over 6500 substudy patients from 82 centres in 21 countries were randomised in December 2013. The authors will use logistic regression to estimate the adjusted OR of AKI following surgery (compared with the preoperative serum creatinine value, a postoperative increase ≥26.5 μmol/L in the 2 days following surgery or an increase of ≥50% in the 7 days following surgery) comparing each intervention to placebo, and will report the adjusted relative risk reduction. Alternate definitions of AKI will also be considered, as will the outcome of AKI in subgroups defined by the presence of preoperative chronic kidney disease and preoperative chronic aspirin use. At the time of randomisation, a subpopulation agreed to a single measurement of serum creatinine between 3 and 12 months after surgery, and the authors will examine intervention effects on this outcome., Ethics and Dissemination: The authors were competitively awarded a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for this POISE-2 AKI substudy. Ethics approval was obtained for additional kidney data collection in consecutive patients enrolled at participating centres, which first began for patients enrolled after January 2011. In patients who provided consent, the remaining longer term serum creatinine data will be collected throughout 2014. The results of this study will be reported no later than 2015., Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT01082874.

Background: Transfusion of allogeneic red blood cells (RBC) may be associated with side effects. This study aimed to assess whether an association could be detected between transfusion practice and the occurrence of complications after laparotomy., Study Design and Methods: This study is an observational analysis of data from a randomized trial in 1400 patients who underwent laparotomy. A subgroup of 224 transfused patients with an intraoperative blood loss ≥200 ml were included in the analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate risk factors for postoperative complications. The ratio of intraoperative RBC transfusion to blood loss was computed, and patients grouped by the median into a liberal transfusion practice (ratio equal to or above the median) and a restrictive transfusion practice group (ratio below the median)., Results: Surgical site infection occurred in 27% of patients in the liberal group vs. 20% of patients in the restrictive group with an OR of 1·5 [95% CI: 0·8-2·9] (P=0·18) and an OR of 1·2 [95% CI: 0·5-2·9] (P=0·73) when adjusting for known confounding variables. Pneumonia occurred in 14% vs. 8% in the liberal and restrictive group, respectively (adjusted P=0·07), and admission to the intensive care unit was 15% vs. 7%, respectively (adjusted P=0·02), but no other significant differences were found., Conclusion: A liberal transfusion practice was not significantly associated with postoperative complications, but pneumonia tended to be more common in the liberal group, which was more often admitted to the intensive care unit., (© 2012 The Author(s). Vox Sanguinis © 2012 International Society of Blood Transfusion.)

Background: A high perioperative inspiratory oxygen fraction (80%) has been recommended to prevent postoperative wound infections. However, the most recent and one of the largest trials, the PROXI trial, found no reduction in surgical site infection, and 30-day mortality was higher in patients given 80% oxygen. In this follow-up study of the PROXI trial we assessed the association between long-term mortality and perioperative oxygen fraction in patients undergoing abdominal surgery., Methods: From October 8, 2006, to October 6, 2008, 1386 patients underwent elective or emergency laparotomy and were randomized to receive either 80% or 30% oxygen during and for 2 hours after surgery. The follow-up date was February 24, 2010. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier statistics and the Cox proportional hazards model., Results: Vital status was obtained in 1382 of 1386 patients after a median follow-up of 2.3 years (range 1.3 to 3.4 years). One hundred fifty-nine of 685 patients (23.2%) died in the 80% oxygen group compared to 128 of 701 patients (18.3%) assigned to 30% oxygen (HR, 1.30 [95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.64], P = 0.03). In patients undergoing cancer surgery, the HR was 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.10 to 1.90; P = 0.009; and after noncancer surgery, the HR was 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.69 to 1.65; P = 0.79., Conclusions: Administration of 80% oxygen in the perioperative period was associated with significantly increased long-term mortality and this appeared to be statistically significant in patients undergoing cancer surgery but not in noncancer patients.

Background: A high perioperative inspiratory oxygen fraction (FiO2) may reduce the frequency of surgical site infection. Perioperative atelectasis is caused by absorption, compression and reduced function of surfactant. It is well accepted, that ventilation with 100% oxygen for only a few minutes is associated with significant formation of atelectasis. However, it is still not clear if a longer period of 80% oxygen results in more atelectasis compared to a low FiO2.Our aim was to assess if a high FiO2 is associated with impaired oxygenation and decreased pulmonary functional residual capacity (FRC)., Methods: Thirty-five patients scheduled for laparotomy for ovarian cancer were randomized to receive either 30% oxygen (n = 15) or 80% oxygen (n = 20) during and for 2 h after surgery. The oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) was measured every 30 min during anesthesia and 90 min after extubation. FRC was measured the day before surgery and 2 h after extubation by a rebreathing method using the inert gas SF6., Results: Five min after intubation, the median PaO2/FiO2 was 69 kPa [53-71] in the 30%-group vs. 60 kPa [47-69] in the 80%-group (P = 0.25). At the end of anesthesia, the PaO2/FiO2 was 58 kPa [40-70] vs. 57 kPa [46-67] in the 30%- and 80%-group, respectively (P = 0.10). The median FRC was 1993 mL [1610-2240] vs. 1875 mL [1545-2048] at baseline and 1615 mL [1375-2318] vs. 1633 mL [1343-1948] postoperatively in the 30%- and 80%-group, respectively (P = 0.70)., Conclusion: We found no significant difference in oxygenation index or functional residual capacity between patients given 80% and 30% oxygen for a period of approximately 5 hours., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00637936.

Background: In Denmark, the first acute pain service (APS) was introduced in 1993. An important objective became to facilitate implementation of accelerated post-operative rehabilitation programmes (ACC) in selected procedures in abdominal, gynaecological and orthopaedic surgery. Therefore, it is of considerable interest to study the association between the developments of post-operative pain management and the ACC by sequential analyses from 2000 to 2009., Methods: In 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009, a questionnaire was mailed to all Danish anaesthesiology departments. The headings of the questionnaire were demographics of responder departments, resources allocated to pain management methods, quality assessment methods, research activities and implementation of ACC., Results: The responder rates varied between 80% and 94% (mean 88%) representing a mean number of anaesthetics of 340.000 per year. The number of APSs in the study period varied in university hospitals between 52% and 71% (P = 0.01), regional hospitals between 8% and 40% (P < 0.01), and local hospitals between 0% and 47% (P < 0.01). The prevalences of departments actively engaged in ACC were 40% in 2000, 54% in 2003, 73% in 2006 and 80% in 2009 (P < 0.01)., Conclusions: The study, spanning nearly a decade, illustrates that following an increase in number of APSs from 2000 to 2006, followed by a significant decline, a steadily increasing number of departments implemented ACC., (© 2012 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica © 2012 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Purpose of Review: Supplemental oxygen is often administered during anesthesia and in critical illness to treat hypoxia, but high oxygen concentrations are also given for a number of other reasons such as prevention of surgical site infection (SSI). The decision to use supplemental oxygen is, however, controversial, because of large heterogeneity in the reported results and emerging reports of side-effects. The aim of this article is to review the recent findings regarding benefits and harms of oxygen therapy in anesthesia and acute medical conditions., Recent Findings: Large randomized trials have not found significant reductions in SSI with 80% oxygen during and after abdominal surgery and cesarean section. There is no documented benefit of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for acute ischemic stroke, and there is emerging data to suggest increased mortality with normobaric supplemental oxygen for myocardial infarction without heart failure. Survival and neurologic outcome seem to be adversely affected by hyperoxia in patients with return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest., Summary: The benefits of supplemental oxygen are not yet confirmed, and new findings suggest that potential side-effects should be considered if the inspired oxygen concentration is increased above what is needed to maintain normal arterial oxygen saturation.

Objective: Surgical-site infections are serious complications and thorough follow-up is important for accurate surveillance. We aimed to compare the frequency of complications recorded in a clinical quality database with those noted in a randomized clinical trial with follow-up visits., Design: Evaluation study., Setting: Danish Gynecological Cancer Database (DGCD) and the Danish multicenter trial on perioperative oxygen and surgical-site infections (PROXI)., Sample: Paired data from 222 patients who participated in the PROXI trial taking place at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet between November 2006 and October 2008 and data from the DGCD., Methods: Outcomes within 30 days from the trial and the database were compared and levels of agreements were calculated with kappa-statistics., Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome was surgical-site infection. Other outcomes included re-operation, urinary tract infection, pneumonia and sepsis., Results: Surgical-site infection was found in 21 of 222 patients (9.5%) in the PROXI trial versus 6 of 222 patients (2.7%) in the DGCD (p < 0.01, kappa 0.42). Twelve of 15 superficial and three of six deep or organ-space surgical-site infections were registered in the PROXI trial, but not in the DGCD. Agreements between secondary outcomes were very varying (kappa-value 0.77 for re-operation, 0.37 for urinary tract infections, 0.19 for sepsis and 0.18 for pneumonia)., Conclusions: The randomized trial reported significantly more surgical-site infections than the clinical database. The DGCD reported only 50% of the deep and organ-space infections, and hence, the low-overall agreement indicates a need for more careful database registration., (© 2010 The Authors Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica© 2010 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication after abdominal surgery and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria are commonly used for diagnosis and surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SSI diagnosed according to CDC is clinically relevant (CRSSI) and whether there is agreement between evaluations according to the CDC criteria, the ASEPSIS score (Additional treatment, presence of Serous discharge, Erythema, Purulent exudate, Separation of the deep tissues, Isolation of bacteria and duration of Stay) and CRSSI. We included 54 patients diagnosed with SSI and a matched control group (N=46) without SSI according to the CDC criteria after laparotomy. Two blinded experienced surgeons evaluated the hospital records and determined whether patients had CRSSI, based on the following criteria: antibiotic treatment, surgical intervention, prolonged hospital stay or referral to an intensive care unit for SSI. The rate of CRSSI was 38 of 54 (70%) in patients with CDC-diagnosed SSI and none in patients without a CDC-diagnosed SSI. Sixty-one percent of the CDC-diagnosed SSIs were superficial, of which 48% were considered clinically relevant. There was substantial agreement between the CDC criteria and CRSSI [kappa=0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55-0.83] and fair agreement between the ASEPSIS score and the CDC criteria (kappa=0.23; 95% CI: 0-0.49) and between the ASEPSIS score and CRSSI (kappa=0.39; 95% CI: 0.17-0.61). The CDC criteria represent a suitable standard definition for monitoring and identifying SSI, even if some cases of less clinically significant superficial SSI are included., (Copyright 2010 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)