„Fast-track“ bei laparoskopisch radikaler Prostatektomie

Systematic review and meta-analysis of enhanced recovery programmes in surgical patients

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery programmes (ERPs) have been developed over the past 10 years to improve patient outcomes and to accelerate recovery after surgery. The existing literature focuses on specific specialties, mainly colorectal surgery. The aim of this review was to investigate whether the effect of ERPs on patient outcomes varies across surgical specialties or with the design of individual programmes.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to January 2013 for randomized or quasi-randomized trials comparing ERPs with standard care in adult elective surgical patients.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight trials were included in the review, with a total of 5099 participants. Study design and quality was poor. Meta-analyses showed that ERPs reduced the primary length of stay (standardized mean difference -1·14 (95 per cent confidence interval -1·45 to -0·85)) and reduced the risk of all complications within 30 days (risk ratio (RR) 0·71, 95 per cent c.i. 0·60 to 0·86). There was no evidence of a reduction in mortality (RR 0·69, 95 per cent c.i. 0·34 to 1·39), major complications (RR 0·95, 0·69 to 1·31) or readmission rates (RR 0·96, 0·59 to 1·58). The impact of ERPs was similar across specialties and there was no consistent evidence that elements included within ERPs affected patient outcomes.

CONCLUSION

ERPs are effective in reducing length of hospital stay and overall complication rates across surgical specialties. It was not possible to identify individual components that improved outcome. Qualitative synthesis may be more appropriate to investigate the determinants of success.

[Fast track in vascular surgery]

Vascular comorbidities are common in vascular surgery, being associated with perioperative complications. Since it was demonstrated that the postoperative course could be optimized by introduction of the fast track concept in general surgery, application to vascular surgery may also be of benefit. The fast track concept was introduced in our institution on May 1st 2008 with special adjustments for vascular surgery. The authors describe the development and implementation of a clinical pathway, which proved to be of value in vascular surgery.

[Decision on the time for post-operative extubation of maxillofacial surgery patient in the intensive care unit]

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate moment of extubation in maxillofacial post-operative patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and analyze early complications during their stay.

DESIGN

An observational and prospective study.

SETTING

Third level hospital ICU.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All patients we underwent maxillofacial surgery and admitted to the ICU for immediate post-operative care from February 2007 to March 2008 were studied. Demographic and clinical data variables of the patients, anesthesic variables prior to surgery and mechanical ventilation and postoperative complications during their stay in the ICU were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 102 patients were collected during the study. Of these, 58 (55.8%) patients were extubated early (within the first 4 hours of admission). Global rate of complications was 12.5%. Length of mechanical ventilation was longer in patients who required cervical lymph node extraction (p = 0.0031). We found an association between complications and late extubation (p = 0.034; OR = 3.78; 95% CI, 1.16-12.31). The multivariant study showed that late extubation and surgery that required lymph node extraction are predictors of complications.

CONCLUSIONS

In our series, late extubation and the need for cervical lymph node extraction were independent risk factors for complications in ICU. Although early extubation may be hazardous in some cases in the first hours, we have no consistent data to maintain mechanical ventilation longer than needed to recover from the anesthesia.