Reduced Pain and Opioid Use in the Early Postoperative Period in Patients Undergoing a Frontotemporal Craniotomy under Regional vs General Anesthesia

The effect of spaced learning on the learning outcome and retention of nurse anesthesia students: a randomized-controlled study

BACKGROUND

Poor learning and retention are common problems of students, which may be alleviated by optimization of widely used educational methods such as lectures. This study aimed to investigate the effect of spaced learning on the learning outcome and retention of nurse anesthesia students.

METHODS

This was a randomized controlled study with a pre-and post-test design on 64 nurse anesthesia students who were divided into two groups of spaced lecture (n = 32) and conventional lecture (n = 32). The spaced lectures included three 30-minute training sessions with 10-minute intervals while the conventional sessions including 90 min of continuous training. Students' knowledge was measured using one valid and reliable questionnaire developed by the research team. All students in both groups took a pre-test, and their level of knowledge acquisition was evaluated immediately after the training. Their level of knowledge retention was tested two and four weeks after the lecture.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding demographic characteristics (p > 0.05). In the pre-test, the mean score of knowledge in the intervention group was lower than that in the control group, there was no significant difference (p = 0.177). But after the intervention, the mean scores of learning outcome and retention in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.001, eta = 0.576). Also, the results showed that learning outcome and retention across the three academic semesters in the two groups are significantly different, and students with a higher academic semester obtained a significantly higher mean score of knowledge and retention (p < 0.001, eta = 0.604).

CONCLUSION

Spaced learning improves nurse anesthesia students' knowledge and retention more than conventional method. Future studies focusing on spaced learning should specifically examine the impact of duration and number of intervals, as well as the time gap between training and measurement of learning retention.

Safety and Feasibility of a Fast-Track Pathway for Neurosurgical Craniotomy Patients: Bypassing the Intensive Care Unit

Objective

To describe the safety and feasibility of a fast-track pathway for neurosurgical craniotomy patients receiving care in a neurosciences progressive care unit (NPCU).

Patients and Methods

Traditionally, most craniotomy patients are admitted to the neurosciences intensive care unit (NSICU) for postoperative follow-up. Decreased availability of NSICU beds during the coronavirus disease-2019 delta surge led our team to establish a de-novo NPCU to preserve capacity for patients requiring high level of care and would bypass routine NSICU admissions. Patients were selected a priori by treating neurosurgeons on the basis of the potential need for high-level ICU services. After operation, selected patients were transferred to the postoperative care unit, where suitability for NPCU transfer was reassessed with checklist-criteria. This process was continued after the delta surge.

Results

From July 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, 57 patients followed the NPCU protocol. Thirty-four (59.6%) were women, and the mean age was 56 years. Fifty-seven craniotomies for 34 intra-axial and 23 extra-axial lesions were performed. After assessment and application of the checklist-criteria, 55 (96.5%) were transferred to NPCU, and only 2 (3.5%) were transferred to ICU. All 55 patients followed in NPCU had good safety outcomes without requiring NSICU transfer. This saved $143,000 and led to 55 additional ICU beds for emergent admissions.

Conclusion

This fast-track craniotomy protocol provides early experience that a surgeon-selected group of patients may be suitably monitored outside the traditional NSICU. This system has the potential to reduce overall health care expenses, increase capacity for NSICU bed availability, and change the paradigm of NSICU admission.

Awake Craniotomy in Africa: A Scoping Review of Literature and Proposed Solutions to Tackle Challenges

BACKGROUND

Awake craniotomy (AC) is a common neurosurgical procedure for the resection of lesions in eloquent brain areas, which has the advantage of avoiding general anesthesia to reduce associated complications and costs. A significant resource limitation in low- and middle-income countries constrains the usage of AC.

OBJECTIVE

To review the published literature on AC in African countries, identify challenges, and propose pragmatic solutions by practicing neurosurgeons in Africa.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review under Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-Scoping Review guidelines across 3 databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). English articles investigating AC in Africa were included.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies consisting of 396 patients were included. Egypt was the most represented country with 8 studies (42.1%), followed by Nigeria with 6 records (31.6%). Glioma was the most common lesion type, corresponding to 120 of 396 patients (30.3%), followed by epilepsy in 71 patients (17.9%). Awake-awake-awake was the most common protocol used in 7 studies (36.8%). Sixteen studies (84.2%) contained adult patients. The youngest reported AC patient was 11 years old, whereas the oldest one was 92. Nine studies (47.4%) reported infrastructure limitations for performing AC, including the lack of funding, intraoperative monitoring equipment, imaging, medications, and limited human resources.

CONCLUSION

Despite many constraints, AC is being safely performed in low-resource settings. International collaborations among centers are a move forward, but adequate resources and management are essential to make AC an accessible procedure in many more African neurosurgical centers.

What Is the Learning Curve for Lumbar Spine Surgery Under Spinal Anesthesia?

BACKGROUND

Spinal anesthesia (SA) is routinely used in obstetrics and orthopedic surgery but has not been widely adopted in lumbar spine surgery (LSS). One perceived barrier is the learning curve for the neurosurgical and anesthesia team associated with managing a patient in the prone position under SA.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of 34 LSS cases under SA at our institution was examined. Operative time, corrected operative time per level, and complications were analyzed. The learning curve was assessed using a curve-fit regression analysis.

RESULTS

Of patients, 62% were female, with mean (SD) age and body mass index of 60.7 (10.8) years and 29.9 (4.6) kg/m², respectively. The mean (SD) for each time segment was operating room arrival to incision 35.7 (8.1) minutes, total surgical time 100.4 (35.8) minutes, and procedure finish to operating room exit 3.4 (2.5) minutes. When the times were normalized to procedure type and analyzed sequentially, the mean (SD) slope of all trendlines was 0.003 (0.005) with correlation coefficients of R² = 0.0002-0.01, indicating no appreciable learning curve. Normalized postanesthesia care unit time was significantly shorter for overnight stay versus same-day discharge (0.64 vs. 1.36, P = 0.0005).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate the lack of a learning curve when SA is implemented in LSS cases by an anesthetic team already familiar with SA techniques for other procedures. Importantly, the surgical team was already familiar with the minimally invasive surgery approaches used in conjunction with SA. This study highlights that the barriers to transitioning to SA for LSS may be fewer than perceived.