Enhanced Recovery Programs in an Ambulatory Surgical Oncology Center.

Background: We describe the implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs designed to minimize postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and pain and reduce opioid use in patients undergoing selected procedures at an ambulatory cancer surgery center. Key components of the ERAS included preoperative patient education regarding the postoperative course, liberal preoperative hydration, standardized PONV prophylaxis, appropriate intraoperative fluid management, and multimodal analgesia at all stages.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data on patients who underwent mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction, minimally invasive hysterectomy, thyroidectomy, or minimally invasive prostatectomy from the opening of our institution on January 2016 to December 2018.

Association Between Electronic Patient Symptom Reporting With Alerts and Potentially Avoidable Urgent Care Visits After Ambulatory Cancer Surgery.

Importance: Increasingly complex surgical procedures are being performed in the outpatient setting, increasing the burden on patients and caregivers to manage their postoperative symptoms. Electronic patient-reported symptom tracking may reduce this burden and help patients distinguish between expected symptoms and those requiring intervention.

Objective: To determine whether electronic symptom reporting with clinical alerts for 10 days after ambulatory cancer surgery is associated with a reduction in potentially avoidable urgent care visits, defined as a visit not leading to admission.

Intraoperative Ketorolac is Associated with Risk of Reoperation After Mastectomy: A Single-Center Examination.

Background: Although ketorolac is an effective adjunct for managing pain in the perioperative period, it is associated with a risk of postoperative bleeding. This study retrospectively investigated the association between ketorolac use and both reoperation and postoperative opioid use among mastectomy patients.

Methods: The study identified all women undergoing mastectomy (unilaterally or bilaterally) at our ambulatory surgery cancer center from January 2016 to June 2019.

Impact of intraoperative remifentanil on postoperative pain and opioid use in thyroid surgery.

Background And Objectives: Remifentanil infusion is used as an intraoperative anesthetic for thyroidectomy, but has been associated with acute opioid tolerance and hyperalgesia. A national shortage of remifentanil provided an opportunity to study postoperative pain in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

Methods: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data from an outpatient surgery center.

Enhanced Recovery Programs in Outpatient Surgery.

Although enhanced recovery pathways were initially implemented in inpatients, their principles are relevant in the ambulatory setting. Opioid minimization and addressing pain and nausea through multimodal analgesia, regional anesthesia, and robust preoperative education programs are integral to the success of ambulatory enhanced recovery programs. Rather than measurements of length of stay as in traditional inpatient programs, the focus of enhanced recovery programs in ambulatory surgery should be on improved quality of recovery, pain management, and early ambulation.

Outcomes and Safety Among Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Undergoing Cancer Surgery Procedures in a Freestanding Ambulatory Surgical Facility.

Background: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be at increased risk for serious perioperative complications. The suitability of ambulatory surgery for patients with OSA remains controversial, and several national guidelines call for more evidence that assesses clinically significant outcomes. In this study, we investigate the association between OSA status (STOP-BANG risk, or previously diagnosed) and short-term outcomes and safety for patients undergoing cancer surgery at a freestanding ambulatory surgery facility.

Assessing Rapidity of Recovery After Cancer Surgeries in a Single Overnight Short-Stay Setting.

Background: In the short-stay surgery setting, where patients remain in hospital for a single overnight at most, it is unclear as to whether postoperative length of stay is a good surrogate for assessing rapidity of recovery. We hypothesized that length of stay would be a function of time of surgery and would be a poorer marker of recovery than time of discharge.

Methods: A cohort of 891 mastectomy and 538 prostatectomy patients had a planned single overnight stay after surgery at an ambulatory surgical hospital during 2016.

Evaluating Patient-Centered Outcomes in Clinical Trials of Procedural Sedation, Part 2 Safety: Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research Recommendations.

The Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research, established by the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks, a public-private partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration, convened a second meeting of sedation experts from a variety of clinical specialties and research backgrounds to develop recommendations for procedural sedation research. The previous meeting addressed efficacy and patient- and/or family-centered outcomes. This meeting addressed issues of safety, which was defined as "the avoidance of physical or psychological harm.

Evaluating Patient-Centered Outcomes in Clinical Trials of Procedural Sedation, Part 1 Efficacy: Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research Recommendations.

The Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research, established by the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks public-private partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration, convened a meeting of sedation experts from a variety of clinical specialties and research backgrounds with the objective of developing recommendations for procedural sedation research. Four core outcome domains were recommended for consideration in sedation clinical trials: (1) safety, (2) efficacy, (3) patient-centered and/or family-centered outcomes, and (4) efficiency. This meeting identified core outcome measures within the efficacy and patient-centered and/or family-centered domains.

The risk of hypertension after preoperative discontinuation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor antagonists in ambulatory and same-day admission patients.

Background: The continued use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II subtype I receptor antagonists (ARBs) medications in the preoperative period has been reported to be associated with intraoperative hypotension that can be unresponsive to pressor drugs. As a result, several investigators suggested discontinuation of these medications before scheduled surgery but did not report on unintended consequences that might result from discontinuation. We conducted a prospective, single-blind, randomized trial to observe the effect of the medications on preoperative arterial blood pressure recordings in patients presenting for ambulatory and same-day surgery.

Office-based anesthesia: how to start an office-based practice.

Ambulatory, office-based anesthesia (OBA) has experienced an exponential growth in the last decade, and is popular among patients and health care providers alike. About 17% to 24% of all elective ambulatory procedures in the United States are currently being performed in an office-based setting. Special considerations must be made when comparing OBA to a hospital setting, particularly with respect to facility and environment, administration, and accreditation.

Office-based anesthesia.

Purpose: Ambulatory office-based anesthesia (OBA) is a relatively new but rapidly growing field. OBA requires a different approach than that used in the hospital, because there are unique considerations that must be recognized when administering anesthesia in a free-standing office facility. This review provides a summary of the important issues and aspects of safe patient care.

Risk factors associated with fast-track ineligibility after monitored anesthesia care in ambulatory surgery patients.

Background: Fast-tracking after ambulatory anesthesia has been advocated as a pathway to improve efficiency and maximize resources without compromising patient safety and satisfaction. Studies reporting successful fast-tracking focus primarily on anesthesia techniques and not on specific patient factors, surgical procedure, or process variables associated with unsuccessful fast-tracking. We performed this retrospective study to implement a process for improving fast-tracking, measure change over time, and identify variables associated with patients unable to fast-track successfully after monitored anesthesia care.

A comparison of the remifentanil and fentanyl adverse effect profile in a multicenter phase IV study.

Study Objective: To compare the frequency of adverse effects of remifentanil and fentanyl in a large and diverse patient population.

Design: Prospective, randomized, open-label study.

Setting: Multicenter study including academic and community hospitals.