The Australian approach to peri-operative fluid balance

A Multicenter, Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial of a Conservative Fluid Management Strategy Compared With Usual Care in Participants After Cardiac Surgery: The Fluids After Bypass Study

OBJECTIVES

There is little evidence to guide fluid administration to patients admitted to the ICU following cardiac surgery. This study aimed to determine if a protocolized strategy known to reduce fluid administration when compared with usual care reduced ICU length of stay following cardiac surgery.

DESIGN

Prospective, multicenter, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial.

SETTING

Five cardiac surgical centers in New Zealand conducted from November 2016 to December 2018 with final follow-up completed in July 2019.

PATIENTS

Seven-hundred fifteen patients undergoing cardiac surgery; 358 intervention and 357 usual care.

INTERVENTIONS

Randomization to protocol-guided strategy utilizing stroke volume variation to guide administration of bolus fluid or usual care fluid administration until desedation or up to 24 hours. Primary outcome was length of stay in ICU. Organ dysfunction, mortality, process of care measures, patient-reported quality of life, and disability-free survival were collected up to day 180.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Overall 666 of 715 (93.1%) received at least one fluid bolus. Patients in the intervention group received less bolus fluid (median [interquartile range], 1,000 mL [250-2,000 mL] vs 1,500 mL [500-2,500 mL]; p < 0.0001) and had a lower overall fluid balance (median [interquartile range], 319 mL [-284 to 1,274 mL] vs 673 mL [38-1,641 mL]; p < 0.0001) in the intervention period. There was no difference in ICU length of stay between the two groups (27.9 hr [21.8-53.5 hr] vs 25.6 hr [21.9-64.6 hr]; p = 0.95). There were no differences seen in development of organ dysfunction, quality of life, or disability-free survival at any time points. Hospital mortality was higher in the intervention group (4% vs 1.4%; p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

A protocol-guided strategy utilizing stroke volume variation to guide administration of bolus fluid when compared with usual care until desedation or up to 24 hours reduced the amount of fluid administered but did not reduce the length of stay in ICU.

Are postoperative intravenous fluids in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy a necessity? A randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Intravenous (IV) fluid therapy should be individualized according to each patient's weight, disease, and comorbidities, as well as the type and duration of the operative procedure. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy represents one of the most common, short-duration operations; thus, the aim of this study was to assess the necessity of postoperative administration of IV fluids.

METHOD

A randomized clinical trial with patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed. Patients were randomly assigned to control group (IV fluids at the surgeon's discretion) and study group (no IV fluids after the operation). Body weight and composition, total intravenous fluids, urinary output, creatinine levels, and the presence of thirst and hunger were assessed. Costs related to the administration of postoperative IV fluids were measured.

RESULTS

The study and control groups were similar with regard to sex distribution, age, and general characteristics. There was a significant difference in the amount of infused IV fluids (1,600 mL vs 3,000 mL), directly related to the amount offered postoperatively to the control group. Weight, extracellular water, and urinary output (1,257 ± 736 mL vs 888 ± 392 mL; P < .05) were increased in the control group, and this was positively correlated with the volume of infused fluids (r = 0.333). There were no differences in creatinine levels, thirst, hunger, and well-being features. An average of 10.7 minutes per patient of nursing time was required for IV administration. Cost related to IV fluids was increased in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative intravenous fluids are not necessary in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and their use is associated with increased nursing time and costs.

Validation of days at home as an outcome measure after surgery: a prospective cohort study in Australia

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate 'days at home up to 30 days after surgery' (DAH₃₀) as a patient-centred outcome measure.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

DATA SOURCE

Using clinical trial data (seven trials, 2109 patients) we calculated DAH₃₀ from length of stay, readmission, discharge destination and death up to 30 days after surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME

The association between DAH₃₀ and serious complications after surgery.

RESULTS

One or more complications occurred in 263 of 1846 (14.2%) patients, including 19 (1.0%) deaths within 30 days of surgery; 245 (11.6%) patients were discharged to a rehabilitation facility and 150 (7.1%) were readmitted to hospital within 30 days of surgery. The median DAH₃₀ was significantly less in older patients (p<0.001), those with poorer physical functioning (p<0.001) and in those undergoing longer operations (p<0.001). Patients with serious complications had less days at home than patients without serious complications (20.5 (95% CI 19.1 to 21.9) vs 23.9 (95% CI 23.8 to 23.9) p<0.001), and had higher rates of readmission (16.0% vs 5.9%; p<0.001). After adjusting for patient age, sex, physical status and duration of surgery, the occurrence of postoperative complications was associated with fewer days at home after surgery (difference 3.0(95% CI 2.1 to 4.0) days; p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

DAH₃₀ has construct validity and is a readily obtainable generic patient-centred outcome measure. It is a pragmatic outcome measure for perioperative clinical trials.

[State of the art in fluid and volume therapy : A user-friendly staged concept]

Adequate fluid therapy is highly important for the perioperative outcome of our patients. Both, hypovolemia and hypervolemia can lead to an increase in perioperative complications and can impair the outcome. Therefore, perioperative infusion therapy should be target-oriented. The main target is to maintain the patient's preoperative normovolemia by using a sophisticated, rational infusion strategy.Perioperative fluid losses should be discriminated from volume losses (surgical blood loss or interstitial volume losses containing protein). Fluid losses as urine or perspiratio insensibilis (0.5-1.0 ml/kg/h) should be replaced by balanced crystalloids in a ratio of 1:1. Volume therapy step 1: Blood loss up to a maximum value of 20% of the patient's blood volume should be replaced by balanced crystalloids in a ratio of 4(-5):1. Volume therapy step 2: Higher blood losses should be treated by using iso-oncotic, preferential balanced colloids in a ratio of 1:1. For this purpose hydroxyethyl starch can also be used perioperatively if there is no respective contraindication, such as sepsis, burn injuries, critically ill patients, renal impairment or renal replacement therapy, and severe coagulopathy. Volume therapy step 3: If there is an indication for red cell concentrates or coagulation factors, a differentiated application of blood and blood products should be performed.

Fluid management guided by a continuous non-invasive arterial pressure device is associated with decreased postoperative morbidity after total knee and hip replacement

Background

The use of goal directed fluid protocols in intermediate risk patients undergoing hip or knee replacement was studied in few trials using invasive monitoring. For this reason we have implemented two different fluid management protocols, both based on a novel totally non-invasive arterial pressure monitoring device and compared them to the standard (no-protocol) treatment applied before the transition in our academic institution.

Methods

Three treatment groups were compared in this prospective study: the observational (CONTROL, N = 40) group before adoption of fluid protocols and two randomized groups after the transition to protocol fluid management with the use of the continuous non-invasive blood pressure monitoring (CNAP®) device. In the PRESSURE group (N = 40) standard variables were used for restrictive fluid therapy. Goal directed fluid therapy using pulse pressure variation was used in the GDFT arm (N = 40). The influence on the rate of postoperative complications, on the hospital length of stay and other parameters was assessed.

Results

Both protocols were associated with decreased fluid administration and maintained hemodynamic stability. Reduced rate of postoperative infection and organ complications (22 (55 %) vs. 33 (83 %) patients; p = 0.016; relative risk 0.67 (0.49–0.91)) was observed in the GDFT group compared to CONTROL. Lower number of patients receiving transfusion (4 (10 %) in GDFT vs. 17 (43 %) in CONTROL; p = 0.005) might contribute to this observation. No significant differences were observed in other end-points.

Conclusion

In our study, the use of the fluid protocol based on pulse pressure variation assessed using continuous non-invasive arterial pressure measurement seems to be associated with a reduction in postoperative complications and transfusion needs as compared to standard no-protocol treatment.

Trial registration

ACTRN12612001014842

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12871-015-0131-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Randomised Controlled Trial of Fluid Restriction Compared to Oesophageal Doppler-Guided Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy in Elective Major Colorectal Surgery within an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Program

There is continued controversy regarding the benefits of goal-directed fluid therapy, with earlier studies showing marked improvement in morbidity and length-of-stay that have not been replicated more recently. The aim of this study was to compare patient outcomes in elective colorectal surgery patients having goal-directed versus restrictive fluid therapy. Inclusion criteria included suitability for an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery care pathway and patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status score of 1 to 3. Patients were intraoperatively randomised to either restrictive or Doppler-guided goal-directed fluid therapy. The primary outcome was length-of-stay; secondary outcomes included complication rate, change in haemodynamic variables and fluid volumes. One hundred patients, 50 in each group, were included in the analysis. Compared to restrictive therapy, goal-directed therapy resulted in a greater volume of intraoperative fluid, 2115 (interquartile range 1350 to 2560) ml versus 1500 (1200 to 2000) ml, P=0.008, and was associated with an increase in Doppler-derived stroke volume index from beginning to end of surgery, 43.7 (16.3) to 54.2 (21.1) ml/m2, P <0.001, in the latter group. Length-of-stay was similar, P=0.421. The number of patients with any complication (minor or major) was similar; 60% (30) versus 52% (26), P=0.42, or major complications, 1 (2%) versus 4 (8%), P=0.36, respectively. The increased perioperative fluid volumes and increased stroke volumes at the end of surgery in patients receiving goal-directed therapy did not translate to a significant difference in length-of-stay and we did not observe a difference in the number of patients experiencing minor or major complications.

Influence of administration of 1 % glucose solution on neonatal blood glucose concentration in cesarean section

Perioperative administration of adequate glucose prevents hypercatabolism. However, excessive glucose administration until delivery of a fetus might cause newborn hypoglycemia in cesarean section. In this retrospective study, we investigated whether the administration of 1 % glucose solution during cesarean section influenced neonatal blood glucose concentration. We found 46 consecutive patients between 37 and 41 weeks of gestation who underwent cesarean section under combined epidural and spinal anesthesia. We divided the patients into two groups: those receiving 1 % glucose solution (group A, N = 23) and those receiving a solution without glucose (group B, N = 23) until delivery. We recorded umbilical cord blood glucose on delivery, neonatal blood glucose level 3 h after delivery, and 1- and 5-min Apgar scores. The dose of glucose administered until delivery of fetus in group A was 3.6 ± 1.7 mg/kg/min [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] and that in group B 0 mg/kg/min. Umbilical cord blood glucose concentration on delivery of fetus in group A was significantly higher than that in group B (101 ± 19 vs. 66 ± 10 mg/dl; P < 0.0001). Neonatal blood glucose level 3 h after delivery was not significantly different between groups (90 ± 15 vs. 90 ± 21 mg/dl; P = 0.96). The 1- and 5-min Apgar scores were similar between groups. In conclusion, administration of 1 % glucose solution in cesarean section might contribute to prevention of neonatal hypoglycemia.