State of the art: Proceedings of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery Summit

Prehabilitation to mitigate postintensive care syndrome in surgical patients: The rationale for a peri-critical illness pathway involving anaesthesiologists and intensive care physicians

The post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) refers to the long-term physical, psychological and cognitive impairments experienced by intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, while PICS-Family (PICS-F) affects their family members. Despite preventive strategies during the ICU stay, PICS remains a significant concern impacting survivors' quality of life, increasing the healthcare costs, and complicating recovery. Prehabilitation offers a promising approach to mitigating PICS and PICS-F, especially when the ICU stay can be anticipated, such as in the case of major surgery. Recent literature indicates that prehabilitation - interventions designed to enhance patients' functional capacity before critical illness - may mitigate the risk and severity of PICS. Studies have demonstrated that prehabilitation programs can improve muscle strength, reduce anxiety levels and enhance overall quality of life in ICU survivors. Family prehabilitation (prehabilitation-F) is also introduced as a potential intervention to help families to cope with the stress of critical illness. This article aims to explore the role of multimodal prehabilitation and post-ICU follow-up in preventing and managing PICS and PICS-F, focusing on improving patient outcomes, supporting families and optimising healthcare resources. Combining prehabilitation with post-ICU follow-up in peri-critical care clinics could streamline resources and improve outcomes, creating a holistic care pathway. These clinics, focused on both pre-ICU and post-ICU care, would thus address PICS from multiple angles. However, the heterogeneity of patient populations and prehabilitation protocols present challenges in standardising the interventions. Further research is necessary to establish optimal prehabilitation strategies tailored to individual patient needs and to demonstrate their utility in terms of patient outcome.

Deep Serratus Anterior Plane Block for Multimodal Analgesia in Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery Performed via Right Anterior Mini-Thoracotomy

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated if the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) within a multimodal analgesia scheme would reduce acute post-operative pain and intravenous opioid consumption in patients admitted to the intensive care unit after isolated minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the University Hospital of Siena (Italy).

INTERVENTIONS

Patients treated with intravenous opioids (OP-G) as a postoperative analgesic regimen were compared to those managed with an opioid-sparing protocol consisting of a single-shot SAPB with 0.5% ropivacaine plus 4 mg dexamethasone administered 1 hour before the extubation (SAPB-G). The behavioral pain scale (BPS) for intubated (I) or non-intubated patients (NI) and the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) scores were collected at ICU admission and every 8 hours during the initial 24 postoperative hours.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

One hundred five patients (50 SAPB-G; 55 OP-G) were enrolled (median age 67 [60-70]; male 67 [64%]). RASS score at 8 hours after ICU admission was higher in the SAPB-G (0 [0, 0] v OP-G -2 [-3, 0], p < 0.001). At 24 hours after ICU admission, the number of patients with a BPS/BPS-NI score >4 was lower in the SAPB-G (4.0% v 18.2% OP-G, p = 0.048). SAPB-G received a lower number of opioid rescue doses during the first 24 hours (20% v 84% OP-G, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The SAPB may be effective in reducing the postoperative use of opioids in patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. Prospective randomized studies are warranted.

Safety of Early Discharge After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Nationwide Readmissions Analysis

BACKGROUND

We determined the safety of early discharge after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with uncomplicated postoperative courses and compared outcomes with routine discharge in a national cohort. We identified preoperative factors associated with readmission after early discharge after CABG.

METHODS

The Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried to identify patients undergoing CABG from January 2016 to December 2018. Patients were stratified based on length of stay (LOS) as early (≤4 days) vs routine (5-10 days) discharge. Patients were excluded with hospital courses indicative of complicated stays (emergent procedures, LOS >10 days, discharge to extended care facility or with home health, index hospitalization mortality). Propensity score matching was performed to compare outcomes between cohorts. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with readmission after early discharge.

RESULTS

During the study period, 91,861 patients underwent CABG with an uncomplicated postoperative course (∼20% of CABG population). Of these, 31% (28,790 of 91,861) were discharged early, and 69% (63,071 of 91,861) were routinely discharged. After propensity score matching, patients discharged early had lower readmission rates at 30 days, 90 days, and up to 1 year (P < .001 for all). The index hospitalization cost was lower with early discharge ($26,676 vs $32,859; P < .001). Early discharge was associated with a lower incidence of nosocomial infection at the index hospitalization (0.17% vs 0.81%, P < .001) and readmission from infection (14.5% vs 18%, P = .016).

CONCLUSIONS

Early discharge after uncomplicated CABG can be considered in a highly selective patient population. Early-discharge patients are readmitted less frequently than matched routine-discharge patients, with a lower incidence of readmission from infection. Appropriate postdischarge processes to facilitate early discharge after CABG should be further pursued.

Temporary mechanical circulatory support & enhancing recovery after cardiac surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review highlights the integration of enhanced recovery principles with temporary mechanical circulatory support associated with adult cardiac surgery.

RECENT FINDINGS

Enhanced recovery elements and efforts have been associated with improvements in quality and value. Temporary mechanical circulatory support technologies have been successfully employed, improved, and the value of their proactive use to maintain hemodynamic goals and preserve long-term myocardial function is accruing.

SUMMARY

Temporary mechanical circulatory support devices promise to enhance recovery by mitigating the risk of complications, such as postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock, organ dysfunction, and death, associated with adult cardiac surgery.