Patient characteristics,anaesthetic workload and techniques in the UK: an analysis from the 7th National Audit Project (NAP7) activity survey

Detailed contemporary knowledge of the characteristics of the surgical population, national anaesthetic workload, anaesthetic techniques and behaviours are essential to monitor productivity, inform policy and direct research themes. Every 3–4 years, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, as part of its National Audit Projects (NAP), performs a snapshot activity survey in all UK hospitals delivering anaesthesia, collecting patient-level encounter data from all cases under the care of an anaesthetist. During November 2021, as part of NAP7, anaesthetists recorded details of all cases undertaken over 4 days at their site through an online survey capturing anonymous patient characteristics and anaesthetic details. Of 416 hospital sites invited to participate, 352 (85%) completed the activity survey. From these, 24,177 reports were returned, of which 24,172 (99%) were included in the final dataset. The work patterns by day of the week, time of day and surgical specialty were similar to previous NAP activity surveys. However, in non-obstetric patients, between NAP5 (2013) and NAP7 (2021) activity surveys, the estimated median age of patients increased by 2.3 years from median (IQR) of 50.5 (28.4–69.1) to 52.8 (32.1–69.2) years. The median (IQR) BMI increased from 24.9 (21.5–29.5) to 26.7 (22.3–31.7) kg.m^–2. The proportion of patients who scored as ASA physical status 1 decreased from 37% in NAP5 to 24% in NAP7. The use of total intravenous anaesthesia increased from 8% of general anaesthesia cases to 26% between NAP5 and NAP7. Some changes may reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anaesthetic population, though patients with confirmed COVID-19 accounted for only 149 (1%) cases. These data show a rising burden of age, obesity and comorbidity in patients requiring anaesthesia care, likely to impact UK peri-operative services significantly.     

A review of interprofessional training wards: Enhancing student learning and patient outcomes

Background: In an interprofessional training ward (ITW), students from different health professions collaboratively perform patient care with the goal of improving patient care. In the past two decades, ITWs have been established world-wide and studies have investigated their benefits. We aimed to compare ITWs with respect to their logistics, interprofessional learning outcomes and patient outcomes.

Methods: We explored PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE (1990–June 2017) and included articles focusing on interprofessional, in-patient training wards with student teams of medical and other health professions students. Two independent reviewers screened studies for eligibility and extracted data.

Results: Thirty-seven articles from twelve different institutions with ITWs were included. ITWs world-wide are organized similarly with groups of 2–12 students (i.e. medical, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and pharmacy) being involved in patient care, usually for a period of two weeks. However, the type of clinical ward and the way supervisors are trained differ.

Conclusions: ITWs show promising results in short-term student learning outcomes and patient satisfaction rates. Future ITW studies should measure students’ long-term interprofessional competencies using standardized tools. Furthermore, a research focus on the impact of ITWs on patient satisfaction and relevant patient care outcomes is important.     

Impact of Weight Loss During Chemotherapy in Chinese Patients with Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer

Background: Weight loss is frequently observed in pancreatic cancer patients. We aimed to study the prognostic impacts of weight loss early during chemotherapy.

Methods: A total of 72 patients of Chinese ethnicity with unresectable pancreatic cancer who underwent chemotherapy were reviewed. Critical weight loss (CWL) was defined as weight loss ≥ 5% within one month after treatment. The prognostic impact of weight loss and CWL were analyzed.

Results: 47 patients (65.3%) had weight loss after one month of treatment, with 14 (19.4%) suffering from CWL. Baseline characteristics were similar between patients with and without CWL. The median OS and Time-to-treatment-failure (TTF) of patients with CWL were shorter than those without CWL (OS: 4.8?months [CWL] versus [vs.] OS 7.1?months [No CWL]; TTF 1.6?months [CWL] vs. 3.2?months [No CWL]; both P?<?0.01). CWL was an independent adverse prognosticator for OS (Hazard Ratio [HR]?=?2.50; P?=?0.01) and TTF (HR = 2.71; P?<?0.01). Other independent prognosticators for OS were serum albumin <35?mg/dl and CA19-9?≥?1000?IU/ml, while CWL was the only independent prognosticator for TTF (HR 2.71 [95% CI 1.33–5.52]; P?<?0.01).

Conclusions: Development of CWL in early course of chemotherapy was associated with worse prognosis in Chinese patients with unresectable pancreatic cancers.     

MRI characteristics of MOG-Ab associated disease in adults: An update

Our knowledge of the radiological spectrum of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated disease (MOGAD) is growing rapidly. An update on the radiological features of the disease, and its evolution is thus necessary. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has an increasingly important role in the differential diagnosis of MOGAD particularly from aquaporin-4 antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Differentiating these conditions is of prime importance because the management is different between the three inflammatory diseases, and thus could prevent further attack-related disability. Therefore, identifying the MRI features suggestive of MOGAD has diagnostic and prognostic implications. We herein review optic nerve, spinal cord and the brain MRI findings from MOGAD adult patients, and compare them to AQP4-NMOSD and MS.     

Total Knee Arthroplasty Is Safe and Successful in Patients With Klippel-Trénaunay Syndrome

Background

Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome (KTS) is a severe vascular malformation that can lead to hypertrophic osteoarthritis. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed in extremities affected with KTS is challenging given the high-risk vascular considerations and occasionally poor bone quality.

Re-evaluation of websites from burn centers in Austria,Germany and Switzerland

Introduction

Websites serve as information and communication platforms; hence, they are important tools for the self-promotion of hospitals. In 2010, Selig et al. evaluated the online presence of burn centers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland based on 37 quality criteria. This study aimed to re-evaluate these websites to assess their development over the past 6.5 years.

Development of a Simulation-Based Mastery Learning Curriculum for Breaking Bad News

Introduction

Physician communication impacts patient outcomes. However, communication skills, especially around difficult conversations, remain suboptimal, and there is no clear way to determine the validity of entrustment decisions. The aims of this study were to 1) describe the development of a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) curriculum for breaking bad news (BBN) conversation skills and 2) set a defensible minimum passing standard (MPS) to ensure uniform skill acquisition among learners.

Intranasal hydromorphone for treatment of acute pain in children: A pilot study

ObjectivesWe aimed to describe the analgesic efficacy, duration of analgesia, and adverse event profile associated with intranasal hydromorphone in children with acute pain presenting to an emergency department.MethodsProspective dose titration pilot study of otherwise healthy children 4 to 17-years-old with moderate to severe pain who required a parenteral opioid. All patients received an initial intranasal hydromorophone dose of 0.03 mg/kg. The need for additional analgesia was assessed at 15 and 30 min; an additional 0.015 mg/kg was given at each assessment, if required. Need for rescue analgesic, pain intensity and adverse events were assessed until 6 h after hydromorphone administration or until patients were discharged, underwent a procedure to treat their painful condition, or received a rescue analgesic.ResultsWe enrolled 35 children. Fifteen, 11, and 9 children required a total dose of 0.03, 0.045, and 0.06 mg/kg, respectively. Patients in each dose group experienced an absolute decrease in pain score of ≥3/10 and percent reduction >40% within 5–15 min of completing dose-titration administration of hydromorphone. Duration of analgesia (i.e. time until rescue analgesic administered) >1 h was observed in 85.7% of patients. Patients not requiring rescue analgesics had mild or no pain until discharged or their painful conditions were treated. Three (8.6%) patients required a rescue analgesic <1 h after hydromorphone administration. There were no major adverse events.ConclusionsIntranasal hydromorphone led to rapid, clinically significant and frequently sustained decreases in pain intensity in children. No major adverse events were observed in this preliminary sample.Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT02437669