[Morbidity/mortality review: usefulness and shortcomings]

GOAL

The Morbidity-Mortality Conference is a formalized exercise validated by the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) whose aim is to improve the quality and safety of care through periodic (weekly or monthly) analysis of deaths and complications. In France, no data is available concerning the implementation of the MMC methodology despite the interest of the National Institute of Healthcare Quality (HAS) in using the MMC as part of the physician recredentialling process and of hospital accreditation (mandatory in France since the laws of 2005 and 1997 respectively). We aimed to study the experience and perceptions of physicians with this specific methodology in the context of a large regional project aimed to improve clinical risk management.

METHODS

A one page questionnaire with eight confidential questions and a space for free commentary was sent to 150 hospitals in the north of France.

RESULTS

We received 83 responses from 29 hospitals (range: 1-14 responses per hospital). Analysis of unexpected adverse events is performed mainly in informal meetings (76%) and mandatory reports (77%); the MMC methodology is rarely used (11%). The analysis of adverse events is considered to be an important tool for the improvement of patient care and safety (90%) and continuing education (61%), and it results in modification of care protocols (70%) or organizational change (71%). Lack of knowledge of the MMC methodology (66%) and lack of available time (50%) are the main obstacles to the adoption of the MMC. Fear that the findings of the MMC could be available for use in litigation (1%) was not an obstacle. Physicians interested in implementing the MMC are motivated by a desire for improved patient safety (86%) and care management on the surgical service (54%). Self-responsibility is more important than the mandatory process for re-credentialing.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of the MMC requires specific measures such as teaching and support.

[Management of anxious and painful manifestations in pediatric uroradiology]

Two hundred and seven children undergoing either intravenous pyelography (i.v.p.) or voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) were examined. Under the age of 5 years, children received intra-rectal midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) with a maximum of 5 mg. Children over 5 years, self-inhaled an equimolar mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. Pain and stress were evaluated in children under 5, by the pediatric radiologist according to the 4 non verbal items of the Le Baron-Zeltzer scale and in children over 5 by the child himself with a visual analogic scale. Under 5 years of age, midazolam significantly reduced pain and stress during i.v.p. (p < 0.0001), VCUG both in boys (p < 0.0001) and girls (p < 0.0001). In children over 5, nitrous oxide inhalation reduced pain during i.v.p. (p = 0.0004), during VCUG in girls (p = 0.0025), but not in boys ((p > 0.05). Pediatric radiologists should evaluate pain and stress in their patients as they can be easily and safely limited.

Cardiorespiratory changes during laparoscopic fundoplication in children

The results of a prospective assessment of cardiorespiratory changes related to anaesthesia and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication are described in 25 children aged 1.2 to 14.3 years, weighing 9.0 to 64.0 kg. Respiratory disease or oesophagitis were present in 68% cases. During balanced inhalational anaesthesia, hypotension or bradycardia occurred prior to peritoneal insufflation in three cases of reverse Trendelenburg position. During surgery, intra-abdominal pressure was in the 6-10 mmHg range. Transiently, two patients were hypotensive while ten were hypertensive. PETCO2 gradually increased but only two patients required increased minute ventilation. One bronchial intubation episode developed. Airway complications were related to isoflurane administration. Postoperatively, transient hypoxia (25% cases) was observed during the first 3 h. Analgesia duration was in the 40-1440 min range. Hospital stay was 5.6 +/- 1.5 days (mean +/- SD). Laparoscopic paediatric fundoplication is safe when hypovolaemia and postoperative hypoxia are prevented.

[Anesthesia for laparoscopic surgery in pediatrics]

The increasing use of laparoscopic surgery in children is associated with the enlargement of the spectrum of indications to appendicectomy, extramucosal pylorotomy and cure of oesophageal reflux. It is also linked with new problems, mainly due to physiologic modifications elicited by pneumoperitoneum and patient's posture. Although sufficient data are not yet available, the respiratory and cardiovascular modifications are probably similar to those occurring in adults, at least in children more than 4-month-old, as long as the intra-abdominal pressure remains under 15 mmHg. The use of higher intra-abdominal pressures has not been reported in children. In this case, the cardiovascular changes consist mainly in an increase in arterial pressure. In some children, non specific decreases in heart rate and in blood pressure can be observed. The latter can be elicited by a surgical complication, hypovolaemia, head-elevated position or deep anaesthesia. In the newborn and infant under 6 months, intra-abdominal pressures of 15 mmHg or more carry a risk of low cardiac output due to a decrease in contractility and compliance of the left ventricle. In this group of age it is therefore recommended to establish a pressure not higher than 6 mmHg. Moreover, in these very young children, the risk for reopening of the right-left shunts can result in heart insufficiency and systemic gas embolism. Peroperative respiratory changes include an increase in PetCO2 and more rarely a decrease in SaO2. The interpretation of the former depends on the site of gas sampling in the anaesthetic system. It is easily controlled by an increased minute ventilation. Various causes, such as bronchial intubation, inhalation of gastric contents or gas embolism, can decrease SaO2. Contra-indications for laparoscopic surgery include hypovolaemia, heart diseases, increased intracranial pressure and alveolar distension. Therefore newborns are patients at high risk in so far as their foramen ovale or their ductus arteriosus is patent, the pulmonary arterial resistances remain increased and a bronchodysplasia is existing. In some cases a special disease is often associated. As an example recurrent bronchitis or asthma is associated with an oesophageal reflux and a sickle-cell disease in patients with cholelithiasis. These patients require special pre-, per- and postoperative care for prevention of complications. Anaesthesia for laparoscopic surgery does not require a major extension of the usual security regulations. Special attention must be paid to arterial pressure. Therefore end-expiratory concentration of the halogenated anaesthetic agent should not be kept higher than 1.5 times the MAC related to the age during maintenance of anaesthesia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Central venous catheter-related complications in newborns and infants: a 587-case survey

In an attempt to identify factors determining central venous catheter-related complications in newborns and infants, 587 cases have been retrospectively analyzed. Attention has been paid to the influence of the incidence of babies' body weight, site of insertion, and technique of placement of the catheter and the material used, ie, silicone (SI) or polyurethane (PU). Overall complications occurred in 28% of the catheters with 2 deaths due to cardiac tamponade. Mechanical complications happened in 22% of the catheters, including dislodgement (11.6%), extracorporeal perforation (5.3%), and obstruction (5%). Septic complications occurred in 4% catheters, including proven bacteriemia (2.5%), abscess at the entry site (1%), and isolated fever (0.8%). Clinically evident caval thrombosis occurred in 1% of the catheters. Overall complications were significantly higher when the body weight was lower than 2,500 g (P less than .01) due to a significantly higher incidence of septic complications (P less than .05). When a proximal site of placement of the catheter was used, both septic and mechanical complications were more frequent than in the distal approach (P less than .01). The incidence of complications was similar in surgically and in percutaneously placed catheters as in SI and PU catheters. Nevertheless, fatal complications occurred only in PU catheters, leading us to avoid the choice of such material in newborns and small infants.

[Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of etomidate in children and in adults]

Etomidate pharmacokinetics were compared in 12 children (P group) (age 7 to 13 years, weight 22 to 48 kg) and in 4 adult women (A group) (age 28 to 52 years, weight 46 to 72 kg), A.S.A. 1, undergoing minor non abdominal surgery. They were unpremedicated and anaesthetized with alfentanil 100 micrograms.kg-1, and isoflurane 2 vol % in N2O/O2 (1/1). Etomidate was administered as a bolus: 0.3 mg.kg-1 in adults and 0.4 mg.kg-1 in children. Venous plasma samples were frozen until further etomidate assay with a HPLC technique. In all patients but two children, data were fitted to a three rather than a two compartment model. Differences between groups (mean +/- SD values) included Vdc (P: 0.66 +/- 0.31 l.kg-1; A: 0.27 +/- 0.15 l.kg-1; p less than 0.01), t1/2 pi (P: 5.4 +/- 2.9 min; A: 2.7 +/- 5.7 min; p less than 0.05) and plasma clearance (P: 17.2 +/- 4.6 ml.kg-1.min-1; A: 10.9 +/- 3.3 ml.kg-1.min-1; p less than 0.05). No statistical difference was found between A and P groups for the following parameters: t1/2 alpha (37.1 +/- 12.0 min vs 26.8 + 15.1 min), t1/2 beta (260 +/- 99 min vs 175 +/- 99 min), Vdss (2.5 +/- 1.11.kg-1 vs 2.8 +/- 1.61.kg-1), Vd beta (4.1 +/- 2.41.kg-1 vs 4.0 +/- 2.21.kg-1), and MRT (228 +/- 80 min vs 172 +/- 101 min). No age-related difference was found inside P group with regard to pharmacokinetic parameters. In conclusion, a 30% higher etomidate bolus dosage is required in children than in adults to achieve similar plasma concentrations, due to a higher volume of the initial compartment. In comparison to adults the higher clearance suggests higher maintenance dose requirements in children.

Analgesia for appendectomy: comparison of fentanyl and alfentanil in children

During etomidate-N2O vecuronium anaesthesia for appendectomy, three groups of 13 children received fentanyl as a 10 micrograms.kg-1 loading dose and 2 micrograms.kg-1 increments in Group F, alfentanil as a 100 micrograms.kg-1 initial loading dose and either 20 micrograms.kg-1 increments in Group AB or 1 microgram.kg-1.min-1 continuous infusion in Group AI. On the basis of intraoperative heart rate changes, the opioid regimen was less efficient in Group AB (P less than 0.05). Based upon equianalgesic cumulative dosage, the alfentanil/fentanyl potency ratio was in the range of 1/10 to 1/13. The awakening time was similar in all groups, as were the duration of postoperative analgesia, the incidence of postoperative pain and the incidence of nausea and vomiting. We conclude that high-dose alfentanil is as efficient as fentanyl for intra and postoperative analgesia in children undergoing appendectomy.

[Postoperative analgesia in children]

Postoperative analgesia remains frequently insufficient in children. This is in part due to the difficult assessment of pain in the different age groups. In addition, analgesics are commonly ordered inadequately, especially with regard to age-dependent changes in their pharmacokinetics. This often leads to an inadequate administration of different drugs. The different analgesic drugs and techniques available allow to establish guidelines for postoperative analgesia in different age groups of children, under different surgical and postoperative conditions. On the basis of such guidelines, ordered analgesics have a greater chance to be really administered at the proper time to each child.

[Hemodynamic effects of etomidate in the child: a study of the dose-effect relation]

In order to determine haemodynamic effects of increasing etomidate dosage, 18 healthy anaesthetized children aged 3 to 8 years were randomly given etomidate as a bolus: 0.125 mg/kg (group I; n = 6), 0.25 mg/kg (group II; n = 6) or 0.5 mg/kg (group III; n = 6). Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP). Doppler aortic flow (DAF) and equivalents for systolic index (SI) and systemic vascular resistances (SVR) variations after etomidate administration were compared. Spearman's rank correlation test shows a significant relationship between increasing etomidate dosage and both decreased SI and increased SVR. This suggests to decrease dosage when reducing SI is unlikely.

[Physiology of nodal tissue and effect of products used in anesthesia]

The three fundamental properties of the nodal tissue, i.e.: excitability, automaticity and conduction of the depolarisation wave, are directly dependent on ionic transmembrane currents. These currents, either active or passive, determine the characteristics of the membrane action potential. Passive ionic movements cross gated transmembrane channels which activation is voltage-dependent, sometimes time-dependent and, for Ca2+ channels, dependent on intra-cellular cyclic AMP content. Both intra and extra-cellular ionic concentrations (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) alter these passive movements. Active ionic movements require ATP hydrolysis and depend only on cellular metabolism. The neurovegetative system and its transmitters modulate the nodal tissue function altering passive ionic currents. Drugs employed during anesthesia change this function either by direct action on the ionic currents or by indirect action on the neurovegetative system or on histamine liberation. Thus: local anesthetics block selectively fast sodium channels; halogenated volatile anesthetics inhibit slow calcium channels: and narcotics are quite always vagomimetics, sometimes sympathicolytics, they often release histamine. Nevertheless, mechanism of action of various drugs remain unclear.