Noninvasive respiratory support in the hypoxaemic peri-operative/periprocedural patient: A joint ESA/ESICM guideline

High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy as an Adjuvant Therapy for Respiratory Support during Endoscopic Techniques: A Narrative Review

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a respiratory support technique that delivers a controlled concentration of oxygen with high flow, heat, and humidity via the nasal pathway. As it has many physiological effects, its use has increased for a variety of clinical indications; however, there is limited guidance on using HFNC as a respiratory support tool during endoscopic procedures. We conducted a narrative review to evaluate the effect of HFNC as an adjuvant tool during fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB), upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy, and surgical procedures in adults. A search of the PubMed and Cochrane databases were performed. Approximately 384 publications were retrieved, and 99 were selected (93 original works and 6 case reports with a literature review). In patients who underwent FOB, HFNC appears to be superior to conventional oxygen therapy (COT) in preventing hypoxaemia. In contrast, for gastrointestinal endoscopy, the current evidence is insufficient to recommend HFNC over COT in a cost-effective manner. Finally, in surgical procedures such as laryngeal microsurgery or thoracic surgery, HFNC has been shown to be a safe and effective alternative to orotracheal intubation. As the results are heterogeneous, we advocate for the need for more quality studies to understand the effectiveness of HFNC during endoscopic procedures.

A randomized controlled trial of the intraoperative use of noninvasive ventilation versus supplemental oxygen by face mask for procedural sedation in an electrophysiology laboratory

PURPOSE

The efficacy of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) during procedures that require sedation and analgesia has not been established. We evaluated whether NIV reduces the incidence of respiratory events.

METHODS

In this randomized controlled trial, we included 195 patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status of III or IV during electrophysiology laboratory procedures. We compared NIV with face mask oxygen therapy for patients under sedation. The primary outcome was the incidence of respiratory events determined by a computer-driven blinded analysis and defined by hypoxemia (peripheral oxygen saturation < 90%) or apnea/hypopnea (absence of breathing for 20 sec on capnography). Secondary outcomes included hemodynamic variables, sedation, patient safety (composite scores of major or minor adverse events), and adverse outcomes at day 7.

RESULTS

A respiratory event occurred in 89/98 (95%) patients in the NIV group and in 69/97 (73%) patients with face masks (risk ratio [RR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13 to 1.47; P < 0.001). Hypoxemia occurred in 40 (42%) patients in the NIV group and in 33 (34%) patients with face masks (RR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.84 to 1.74; P = 0.30). Apnea/hypopnea occurred in 83 patients (92%) in the NIV group vs 65 patients (70%) with face masks (RR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.53; P < 0.001). Hemodynamic variables, sedation, major or minor safety events, and patient outcomes were not different between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Respiratory events were more frequent among patients receiving NIV without any safety or outcome impairment. These results do not support the routine use of NIV intraoperatively.

STUDY REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02779998); registered 4 November 2015.

The safety of respiratory positive pressure support immediately following pediatric tonsillectomy

INTRODUCTION

Adenotonsillectomy is the first-line treatment for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The postoperative course may be complicated by hypoxia, requiring intervention. Positive pressure respiratory support (PPS) could be used to bridge the postoperative period and avoid invasive mechanical ventilation; however, the safety of PPS following tonsillectomy has not been established. Objective To review the incidence of complications and risk factors associated with PPS use immediately after tonsillectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study between 2015 and 2020 of patients who underwent tonsillectomy and were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at a single healthcare system.

RESULTS

Seven hundred eighty patients met inclusion criteria, including 101 patients treated with PPS immediately following surgery. A similar number of patients were diagnosed with severe OSA in each group prior to surgery. One patient in the PPS cohort developed pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax. Eleven patients (12%) in the PPS group and 18 patients (2%) in the non-PPS group developed life-threatening complications, defined as pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum, re-intubation, post-tonsillectomy bleeding that required surgical intervention, pulmonary edema and death, and all occurred in patients who had not used PPS at baseline. Regression analysis identified body mass index, surgical technique, and PPS use to be associated with increased odds of life-threatening complications.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that PPS is generally safe to use. New-onset PPS is associated with increased odds of life-threatening complications, likely reflecting a severe post-surgical clinical course.

Post-cardiopulmonary bypass hypoxaemia in paediatric patients undergoing congenital heart disease surgery: risk factors, features, and postoperative pulmonary complications

Background

Hypoxemia after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is the quantifiable manifestation of pulmonary dysfunction. This retrospective study was designed to investigate the risk factors for post-cardiopulmonary bypass hypoxaemia and the features of hypoxaemia and pulmonary complications in paediatric congenital heart disease surgery involving CPB.

Methods

Data including demographics, preoperative pulmonary or cardiac parameters, and intraoperative interventions were retrospectively collected from 318 paediatric patients who underwent radical surgery with CPB for congenital heart disease. Among them, the factors that were significant by univariate analysis were screened for multivariate Cox regression. The lowest ratio of arterial oxygen tension and the inspiratory oxygen fraction (PaO₂/FiO₂), hypoxaemia (PaO₂/FiO₂ ≤ 300) insult time, duration of hypoxaemia, extubation time, and pulmonary complications were also analysed postoperatively.

Results

The morbidity of post-cardiopulmonary bypass hypoxaemia was 48.4% (154/318). Months (6 < months ≤ 12, 12 < months ≤ 36 and 36 < months compared with 0 ≤ months ≤ 6: HR 0.582, 95% CI 0.388–0.873; HR 0.398, 95% CI 0.251–0.632; HR 0.336, 95% CI 0.197–0.574, respectively; p < 0.01), preoperative intracardiac right-to-left shunting (HR 1.729, 95% CI 1.200–2.493, p = 0.003) and intraoperative pleural cavity entry (HR 1.582, 95% CI 1.128–2.219, p = 0.008) were identified as independent risk factors for the development of post-cardiopulmonary bypass hypoxaemia. Most hypoxaemia cases (83.8%, 129/154) occurred within 2 h, and the rate of moderate hypoxaemia (100 < PaO₂/FiO₂ ≤ 200) was 60.4% (93/154).

Conclusion

The morbidity of post-cardiopulmonary bypass hypoxaemia in paediatric congenital heart disease surgery was considerably high. Most hypoxaemia cases were moderate and occurred in the early period after CPB. Scrupulous management should be employed for younger infants or children with preoperative intracardiac right-to-left shunting or intraoperative pleural cavity entry.

[Perioperative Anesthesiologic Management: Risk Assessment and Preoperative Improvement of Patient Conditions]

With patient safety being anesthesiologists' top priority, the focus of preoperative assessment must be to reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality of each patient entrusted to us. Perioperative risk is multifactorial and depends on the extent of surgery and the preoperative condition of the patient.The three main causes of unexpected perioperative death are cardiac arrest, hypoxemia and acute bleeding. Therefore, cardiac and pulmonary risk assessment should cover pre-existing conditions, patient's functional capacity and risk factors associated with the surgical procedure. Specific assessment tools have been developed, are easily accessible and have proven effective in every day clinical practice. Regarding the risk of bleeding, taking a detailed patients' history (including medication) seems to be more suitable to detect mild bleeding disorders than laboratory screening.Functional capacity, defined as the patient's ability to cope with everyday life, gains importance in preoperative risk assessment, as do further factors like deficiencies in nutrition, anaemia, physical capacity, the metabolic status or frailty in the elderly. Prehabilitation strategies reduce perioperative mortality and morbidity by improving functional capacity. These include preoperative nutrition supplementation, physical exercise, correction of iron deficiency and optimized treatment of hyperglycemia.A combination of thorough risk stratification and prehabilitation strategies can improve preoperative conditions and reduce complications in the postoperative period.

A study on respiratory management in acute postoperative period by nasal high flow for patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia

In head and neck surgery where the oropharyngeal area is the operative field, postoperative respiratory depression and upper airway obstruction are common. Therefore, supplemental oxygen is administered to prevent severe postoperative early hypoxemia. However, a high concentration of oxygen increases the likelihood of secondary complications, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) narcosis. Nasal high-flow (NHF) therapy generates high flows (≤60 L/min) of heated and humidified gas delivered via nasal cannula and provides respiratory support by generating positive airway pressure, clearance of dead space and reduction of work of breathing. This study aims to determine whether the postoperative hypoxemia and hypercapnia can be prevented by NHF without the requirement of supplemental oxygen. The study will recruit adult patients undergoing planned oral surgery under general anesthesia at Nagasaki University Hospital. It is a randomized parallel group comparative study with 3 groups: NHF with room air only and no supplemental oxygen, no respiratory support, and face mask oxygen administration. The study protocol will begin at the time that the patient is returned to the general ward and will finish 3 hours later. The primary endpoint is the time-weighted average of transcutaneous O2 over the 180 minutes and secondary endpoints are the time-weighted average of transcutaneous CO2 (tcpCO2), SpO2, and respiratory rate, incidence rate of marked hypercapnia (tcpCO2 ≥60 mm Hg for 5 minutes or longer), incidence rate of moderate hypercapnia (tcpCO2 ≥50 mm Hg for 5 minutes or longer) and the percentage of time that SpO2 is <90%. Included also is a group in which the postoperative management is performed only by spontaneous breathing without performing respiratory support such as oxygen administration, to investigate the efficacy and necessity of conventional oxygen administration. This exploratory study will investigate the use of NHF without supplemental oxygen as an effective respiratory support during the acute postoperative period. TRIAL REGISTRATION:: The study was registered the jRCTs072200018. URL https://jrct.niph.go.jp/latest-detail/jRCTs072200018.

The Italian coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak: recommendations from clinical practice

Novel coronavirus 2019 is a single-stranded, ribonucleic acid virus that has led to an international pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019. Clinical data from the Chinese outbreak have been reported, but experiences and recommendations from clinical practice during the Italian outbreak have not. We report the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on regional and national healthcare infrastructure. We also report on recommendations based on clinical experiences of managing patients throughout Italy. In particular, we describe key elements of clinical management, including: safe oxygen therapy; airway management; personal protective equipment; and non-technical aspects of caring for patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019. Only through planning, training and team working will clinicians and healthcare systems be best placed to deal with the many complex implications of this new pandemic.