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Background: Various studies have demonstrated racial disparities in perioperative care and outcomes. The authors hypothesize that among lower extremity total joint arthroplasty patients, evidence-based perioperative practice utilization increased over time among all racial groups, and that standardized evidence-based perioperative practice care protocols resulted in reduction of racial disparities and improved outcomes., Methods: The study analyzed 3,356,805 lower extremity total joint arthroplasty patients from the Premier Healthcare database (Premier Healthcare Solutions, Inc., USA). The exposure of interest was race (White, Black, Asian, other). Outcomes were evidence-based perioperative practice adherence (eight individual care components; more than 80% of these implemented was defined as "high evidence-based perioperative practice"), any major complication (including acute renal failure, delirium, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, respiratory failure, stroke, or in-hospital mortality), in-hospital mortality, and prolonged length of stay., Results: Evidence-based perioperative practice adherence rate has increased over time and was associated with reduced complications across all racial groups. However, utilization among Black patients was below that for White patients between 2006 and 2021 (odds ratio, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.93 to 0.95]; 45.50% vs. 47.90% on average). Independent of whether evidence-based perioperative practice components were applied, Black patients exhibited higher odds of major complications (1.61 [95% CI, 1.55 to 1.67] with high evidence-based perioperative practice; 1.43 [95% CI, 1.39 to 1.48] without high evidence-based perioperative practice), mortality (1.70 [95% CI, 1.29 to 2.25] with high evidence-based perioperative practice; 1.29 [95% CI, 1.10 to 1.51] without high evidence-based perioperative practice), and prolonged length of stay (1.45 [95% CI, 1.42 to 1.48] with high evidence-based perioperative practice; 1.38 [95% CI, 1.37 to 1.40] without high evidence-based perioperative practice) compared to White patients., Conclusions: Evidence-based perioperative practice utilization in lower extremity joint arthroplasty has been increasing during the last decade. However, racial disparities still exist with Black patients consistently having lower odds of evidence-based perioperative practice adherence. Black patients (compared to the White patients) exhibited higher odds of composite major complications, mortality, and prolonged length of stay, independent of evidence-based perioperative practice use, suggesting that evidence-based perioperative practice did not impact racial disparities regarding particularly the Black patients in this surgical cohort., (Copyright © 2023 American Society of Anesthesiologists. All Rights Reserved.)

Background: When tracheal intubation is difficult or unachievable before surgery or during an emergent resuscitation, this is a critical safety event. Consensus algorithms and airway devices have been introduced in hopes of reducing such occurrences. However, evidence of improved safety in clinical practice related to their introduction is lacking. Therefore, we selected a large perioperative database spanning 2002 to 2015 to look for changes in annual rates of difficult and failed tracheal intubation., Methods: Difficult (more than three attempts) and failed (unsuccessful, requiring awakening or surgical tracheostomy) intubation rates in patients 18 yr and older were compared between the early and late periods (pre- vs. post-January 2009) and by annual rate join-point analysis. Primary findings from a large, urban hospital were compared with combined observations from 15 smaller facilities., Results: Analysis of 421,581 procedures identified fourfold reductions in both event rates between the early and late periods (difficult: 6.6 of 1,000 vs. 1.6 of 1,000, P < 0.0001; failed: 0.2 of 1,000 vs. 0.06 of 1,000, P < 0.0001), with join-point analysis identifying two significant change points (2006, P = 0.02; 2010, P = 0.03) including a pre-2006 stable period, a steep drop between 2006 and 2010, and gradual decline after 2010. Data from 15 affiliated practices (442,428 procedures) demonstrated similar reductions., Conclusions: In this retrospective assessment spanning 14 yr (2002 to 2015), difficult and failed intubation rates by skilled providers declined significantly at both an urban hospital and a network of smaller affiliated practices. Further investigations are required to validate these findings in other data sets and more clearly identify factors associated with their occurrence as clues to future airway management advancements., Visual Abstract: An online visual overview is available for this article at http://links.lww.com/ALN/B635.

Background: Preoperative anemia is a significant predictor of perioperative erythrocyte transfusion in elective arthroplasty patients. However, interactions with other patient and procedure characteristics predicting transfusion requirements have not been well studied., Methods: Patients undergoing elective primary total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty at a tertiary hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, from January 2010 to June 2014 were used to identify preoperative predictors of perioperative transfusion. A logistic regression model was developed and externally validated with an independent data set from three other hospitals in Adelaide., Results: Altogether, 737 adult patients in the derivation group and 653 patients in the validation group were included. Binary logistic regression modeling identified preoperative hemoglobin (odds ratio, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.59; P < 0.001 for each 1 g/dl increase), total hip arthroplasty (odds ratio, 3.56; 95% CI, 2.39 to 5.30; P < 0.001), and females 65 yr of age and older (odds ratio, 3.37; 95% CI, 1.88 to 6.04; P = 0.01) as predictors of transfusion in the derivation cohort., Conclusions: Using a combination of patient-specific preoperative variables, this validated model can predict transfusion in patients undergoing elective hip and knee arthroplasty. The model may also help to identify patients whose need for transfusion may be decreased through preoperative hemoglobin optimization.

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess the rates of perioperative medication errors (MEs) and adverse drug events (ADEs) as percentages of medication administrations, to evaluate their root causes, and to formulate targeted solutions to prevent them., Methods: In this prospective observational study, anesthesia-trained study staff (anesthesiologists/nurse anesthetists) observed randomly selected operations at a 1,046-bed tertiary care academic medical center to identify MEs and ADEs over 8 months. Retrospective chart abstraction was performed to flag events that were missed by observation. All events subsequently underwent review by two independent reviewers. Primary outcomes were the incidence of MEs and ADEs., Results: A total of 277 operations were observed with 3,671 medication administrations of which 193 (5.3%; 95% CI, 4.5 to 6.0) involved a ME and/or ADE. Of these, 153 (79.3%) were preventable and 40 (20.7%) were nonpreventable. The events included 153 (79.3%) errors and 91 (47.2%) ADEs. Although 32 (20.9%) of the errors had little potential for harm, 51 (33.3%) led to an observed ADE and an additional 70 (45.8%) had the potential for patient harm. Of the 153 errors, 99 (64.7%) were serious, 51 (33.3%) were significant, and 3 (2.0%) were life-threatening., Conclusions: One in 20 perioperative medication administrations included an ME and/or ADE. More than one third of the MEs led to observed ADEs, and the remaining two thirds had the potential for harm. These rates are markedly higher than those reported by retrospective surveys. Specific solutions exist that have the potential to decrease the incidence of perioperative MEs.

Background: Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) is a leading cause of transfusion-related fatalities, but its incidence and associated patient and transfusion characteristics are poorly understood. To inform surgical transfusion practice and to begin mitigating perioperative TACO, the authors aimed to define its epidemiology., Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the medical records of adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery with general anesthesia during 2004 or 2011 and receiving intraoperative transfusions were screened using an electronic algorithm for identification of TACO. Those patients who were screened as high probability for TACO underwent rigorous manual review. Univariate and multivariate analyses evaluated associations between patient and transfusion characteristics with TACO rates in a before-and-after study design., Results: A total of 2,162 and 1,908 patients met study criteria for 2004 and 2011, respectively. The incidence of TACO was 5.5% (119 of 2,162) in 2004 versus 3.0% (57 of 1,908) in 2011 (P < 0.001), with comparable rates for men (4.8% [98 of 2,023]) and women (3.8% [78 of 2,047]) (P = 0.09). Overall, vascular (12.1% [60 of 497]), transplant (8.8% [17 of 193]), and thoracic surgeries (7.2% [10 of 138]) carried the highest TACO rates. Obstetric and gynecologic patients had the lowest rate (1.4% [4 of 295]). The incidence of TACO increased with volume transfused, advancing age, and total intraoperative fluid balance (all P < 0.001)., Conclusions: The incidence of perioperative TACO is similar to previous estimates in nonsurgical populations. There was a reduction in TACO rate between 2004 and 2011, with incidence patterns remaining comparable in subgroup analyses. Future efforts exploring risk factors for TACO may guide preventive or therapeutic interventions, helping to further mitigate this transfusion complication.

Approximately 80 million inpatient and outpatient surgeries are performed annually in the United States. Widely variable and fragmented perioperative care exposes these surgical patients to lapses in expected standard of care, increases the chance for operational mistakes and accidents, results in unnecessary and potentially detrimental care, needlessly drives up costs, and adversely affects the patient healthcare experience. The American Society of Anesthesiologists and other stakeholders have proposed a more comprehensive model of perioperative care, the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH), to improve current care of surgical patients and to meet the future demands of increased volume, quality standards, and patient-centered care. To justify implementation of this new healthcare delivery model to surgical colleagues, administrators, and patients and maintain the integrity of evidenced-based practice, the nascent PSH model must be rigorously evaluated. This special article proposes comparative effectiveness research aims or objectives and an optimal study design for the novel PSH model.

Background: Burnout can lead to health and psychologic problems and is apparently increasing in physicians and nurses. Previous studies have not evaluated all healthcare workers within a single work unit. This study evaluates the risk of burnout in all medical personnel in one perioperative unit., Methods: We developed an online survey that included demographics, a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, and the Social Support and Personal Coping Survey. Survey constructs (e.g., depersonalization and health) and a global score were calculated. Larger construct and global values were associated with higher risk of burnout. These were separately regressed on role, age, and sex. The global score was then regressed on each of the survey constructs., Results: Of the 145 responses, 46.2% were physicians (22.8% residents), 43.4% were nurses or nurse anesthetists, and 10.3% were other personnel. After adjusting for sex and age, residents scored higher than other physicians on the following (expected change [95% confidence interval]): global score (1.12 [0.43-1.82]), emotional exhaustion (1.54 [0.44-2.60]), and depersonalization (1.09 [0.23-1.95]). Compared with nonphysicians, residents were 1 U or more higher on these items (P < 0.05 in all cases). Residents had higher health (1.49 [0.48-2.50]) and workload (1.23 [0.07-2.40]) values compared with physicians. Better health, personal support, and work satisfaction scores were related to decreased global scores (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Physicians (particularly residents) had the largest global burnout scores, implying increased risk of burnout. Improving overall health, increasing personal support, and improving work satisfaction may decrease burnout among perioperative team members.

Background: A high proportion of patients having cardiac bypass surgery receive erythrocyte transfusions. Decisions about when to transfuse patients having surgery for coronary artery disease may impact on erythrocyte utilization and patient morbidity and mortality. There are no published data about the factors that influence physicians' decisions to transfuse erythrocytes to these patients. The objectives of this study were to determine the hemoglobin concentration for transfusion and the factors that influence physicians' perioperative transfusion decisions for coronary artery bypass patients., Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study using pretested, self-administered, mailed questionnaires sent in 2004 to all cardiac surgeons and anesthesiologists in Canada who participate in coronary artery bypass surgery. The questionnaire included four intraoperative and four postoperative vignettes. Factors assessed included patient age, sex, cardiac index, and myocardial ischemia., Results: The response rates were 70% (345 of 489) for the intraoperative and 61% (297 of 489) for the postoperative case scenarios. The mean hemoglobin concentrations for transfusion were 7.0 g/dl for the intraoperative case scenarios and 7.2 g/dl for the postoperative case scenarios. Older age, the presence of myocardial ischemia, and a low cardiac index were factors that increased the hemoglobin concentration for transfusion (P < 0.0001). Physicians ranked myocardial ischemia as the most significant factor affecting their transfusion decisions., Conclusions: Factors such as the presence of a low cardiac index, myocardial ischemia, and older age increase the hemoglobin concentrations at which physicians transfuse coronary bypass surgery patients. Future studies are required to elucidate whether transfusions based on these variables affect patient morbidity and mortality.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns of liability associated with malpractice claims arising from management of the difficult airway., Methods: Using the American Society of Anesthesiologists Closed Claims database, the authors examined 179 claims for difficult airway management between 1985 and 1999 where a supplemental data collection tool was used and focused on airway management, outcomes, and the role of the 1993 Difficult Airway Guidelines in litigation. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analysis compared risk factors for death or brain damage (death/BD) from two time periods: 1985-1992 and 1993-1999., Results: Difficult airway claims arose throughout the perioperative period: 67% upon induction, 15% during surgery, 12% at extubation, and 5% during recovery. Death/BD with induction of anesthesia decreased in 1993-1999 (35%) compared with 1985-1992 (62%; P < 0.05; odds ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.63; P = 0.003). In contrast, death/BD associated with other phases of anesthesia did not significantly change over the time periods. The odds of death/BD were increased by the development of an airway emergency (odds ratio, 14.98; 95% confidence interval, 6.37-35.27; P < 0.001). During airway emergencies, persistent intubation attempts were associated with death/BD (P < 0.05). Since 1993, the Airway Guidelines were used to defend care (8%) and criticize care (3%)., Conclusions: Death/BD in claims from difficult airway management associated with induction of anesthesia but not other phases of anesthesia decreased in 1993-1999 compared with 1985-1992. Development of additional management strategies for difficult airways encountered during maintenance, emergence, or recovery from anesthesia may improve patient safety.