Safety and feasibility of enhanced recovery after surgery-based management model for ambulatory pediatric surgical procedures

BACKGROUND There is still some room for optimizing ambulatory pediatric surgical procedures,and the preoperative and postoperative management quality for pediatric patients needs to be improved.AIM To discuss the safety and feasibility of the enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS)-based management model for ambulatory pediatric surgical procedures.METHODS We selected 320 pediatric patients undergoing ambulatory surgery from June 2023 to January 2024 at The First People’s Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.Of these,220 received ERAS-based management(research group)and 100 received routine management(control group).General information,postoperative ambulation activities,surgical outcomes(operation time,postoperative gastro-intestinal ventilation time,and hospital stay),postoperative pain visual analogue scale,postoperative complications(incision infection,abdominal distension,fever,nausea,and vomiting),and family satisfaction were compared.RESULTS The general information of the research group(sex,age,disease type,single parent,family history,etc.)was comparable to that of the control group(P>0.05),but the rate of postoperative(2 h,4 h,and 6 h after surgery)ambulation activities was statistically higher(P<0.01),and operation time,postoperative gastrointestinal ventilation time,and hospital stay were markedly shorter(P<0.05).The research group had lower visual analogue scale scores(P<0.01)at 12 h and 24 h after surgery and a lower incidence of total postoperative complications than the control group(P=0.001).The research group had higher family satisfaction than the control group(P=0.007).CONCLUSION The ERAS-based management model was safe and feasible in ambulatory pediatric surgical procedures and worthy of clinical promotion.

Acceptability of Ambulatory Surgical Services and Its Predictors among Residents of Budondo Sub-County—Jinja District, Uganda

Background: 25% of all people requiring surgical care are not able to access it due to its high cost. These people stand a high risk of preventable severe morbidity and mortality due to poor prognosis of surgically correctable illnesses. Ambulatory surgical care services are significantly cheaper than orthodox surgical care and have become very relevant in this time and age where health conditions that can only be treated with surgical intervention are on the rise. The acceptability of ambulatory surgical care services will determine how this model increases universal health coverage. Objective: To assess the acceptability of ambulatory surgical services and its predictors among residents of Budondo Sub-County—Jinja district. Methods: The study was cross-sectional targeting 371 household heads in Budondo Sub-County, which was stratified by parish, with villages in each randomly sampled. Systematic random sampling was used to sample households and households therein were purposively sampled. Structured interviews and questionnaires were the data collection techniques, and data was analyzed in SPSS version 25 using descriptive statistics and a binomial logit model. Results: The level of acceptability of ambulatory surgical care services among residents of Budondo Sub-County was found to be near-universal, at 96.5%. The odds of accepting ambulatory surgical care were least among household heads who agreed that surgery done in a hospital would be cheaper than surgery done at community level (aOR = 0.174 [CI = 0.055 - 0.553]), those who had health insurance (aOR = 0.105 [95% CI = 0.030 - 0.371]), and household heads who were covered with private health insurance (aOR = 0.078 [95% CI = 0.008 - 0.792]). Acceptability of ASC was higher among household heads who agreed that they would trust ambulatory surgical centers with their life were more likely to accept ambulatory surgical care (aOR = 1.124, [95% CI = 1.122 - 3.218], P = 0.000), and household heads from households that had less than five members with surgery history were twice as likely to accept ambulatory surgical care (aOR = 2.431 [95% CI = 1.122 - 5.898], P = 0.000). Conclusion: Acceptability of ambulatory surgical care services among residents of Budondo Sub-County is high, and near-universal. It is mainly predicted by intrapersonal correlates and to a small extent by socio-demographic characteristics, with the implication that the administration of Global Surgical Initiatives in Kyabirwa ought to focus on modifying or uphold the intrapersonal characteristics found to be antagonists and protagonists of acceptability, respectively.

Improved Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores on first postoperative night achieved by propofol anesthesia in patients undergoing ambulatory gynecologic surgery

BACKGROUND Sleep disturbance on the first postoperative night commonly develops for patients after day surgeries. The choice of either total intravenous anesthesia by propofol or total inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane has become an issue for preventing sleep disturbance.AIM To compare sleep quality on the first postoperative night for female patients after total intravenous anesthesia by propofol and total inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane.METHODS We enrolled 61 American Society of Anesthesia(ASA) class Ⅰ-Ⅱ outpatients who underwent minor gynecologic surgeries by either propofol or sevoflurane anesthesia. Sleep quality of the very night was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) on the next day, and PSQI scores were compared by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and paired t-test pre-operatively and postoperatively.RESULTS For the propofol group, the mean postoperative global PSQI score(3.3 ± 1.3) was lower than the mean preoperative global PSQI score(4.9 ± 2.3)(P < 0.001);for the sevoflurane group, the mean postoperative global PSQI score(6.5 ± 2.8) was higher than the mean preoperative global PSQI score(5.5 ± 3.2)(P = 0.02). Eighty percent of patients receiving propofol anesthesia subjectively reported improved sleep quality, but only 17% of patients receiving sevoflurane anesthesia reported improved sleep quality.CONCLUSION Sleep quality assessed by the PSQI is better improved in ASA class Ⅰ-Ⅱ female patients receiving propofol anesthesia other than sevoflurane anesthesia for undergoing minor gynecologic surgeries.

Perioperative Local Cooling Reduce Significantly Early Pain after Open Inguinal Hernia Repair:A Prospective Randomized Study

Pain and local complications are the major determinants of outcome after inguinal hernia repair. To evaluate the respective impact of peri-operative cooling of surgical site and usual care after open inguinal hernia repair, we performed a prospective randomized study. Methods: One hundred and eight consecutive patients with primary unilateral inguinal hernia were included the study. Repair was performed by local direct access during ambulatory surgery. The first study group underwent standard pre- and postoperative local care (control group). In the second group (cold compress group), a single-use disposable sterile cold compress was applied on the surgical site for at least 30 minutes before and 2 hours after surgery. Primary endpoints were immediate postoperative pain using a visual analogue scale, and local complications. Secondary endpoints included: analgesic drug consumption, length of hospital stay, delay to return to normal activity and patient satisfaction. Results: There was no difference concerning operative time (36.3 ± 14.0 vs 39.6 ± 7.2 minutes) and early (one-week) complications, although there was a non significant reduced incidence of hematoma and ecchymosis (0/54 versus 4/54) for the cold compress group. Analgesic drug consumption was significantly (p = 0.01) reduced. During the day of surgery and the first postoperative day, the visual analogue scale was significantly lower after cooling. There was a non-significant reduction in length of hospital stay (150 ± 37 versus 210 ± 47 min), and time to return to normal activity was shorter in the cold compress group. Conclusion: For open inguinal hernia repair, immediate pre- and post operative surgical site cooling, targeting a controlled temperature between 12?C and 15?C significantly reduced postoperative pain, analgesic drug consumption and resulted in improved immediate outcomes. This technique is safe, simple, easy to use, inexpensive and well tolerated by the patient.

Supporting Efficiency in Health Care at the Community Level

Health care providers and payers in the United States have worked to provide care at reasonable costs. This has frequently been a challenge. For example, the COVID epidemic has generated large expenditures with limited efforts to contain costs. Based on the experiences of providers in Syracuse, New York, this study suggested that realistic approaches are necessary to improve health care efficiency. It described three programs that have improved utilization at the community level. They have included the diversion of large numbers of ambulances that directed patients to emergency departments where care was most available. They have also involved length of stay reduction that saved thousands of patient days and made additional inpatient care available in hospitals. They have also included the use of ambulatory surgery to reduce the need for inpatient care. The data from these programs demonstrated that efforts to improve the efficiency of care can reduce inpatient utilization and improve outcomes. The Syracuse hospitals have used them to make additional capacity available for COVID patients and other populations.