Big data: mind your Ps and Qs-the importance of precision and quality in data validation.

Stierer TL. Big data: mind your ps and qs—the importance of precision and quality in data validation. .

Wrong-Patient Blood Transfusion Error: Leveraging Technology to Overcome Human Error in Intraoperative Blood Component Administration.

Background: Confirmation of match between patient and blood product remains a manual process in most operating rooms (ORs), and documentation of dual-signature verification remains paper based in most medical institutions. A sentinel event at Johns Hopkins Hospital in which a seriously ill patient undergoing an emergent surgical procedure was transfused with a unit of incompatible red blood cells that had been intended for another patient in an adjacent OR led the hospital to conduct a quality improvement project to improve the safety of intraoperative blood component transfusions.

Methods: A multidisciplinary quality improvement project team led a four-phase implementation of bedside bar code transfusion verification (BBTV) for intraoperative blood product administration.

Prediction of obstructive sleep apnea using visual photographic analysis.

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been historically underdiagnosed and may be associated with grave perioperative complications. The ASA and American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend OSA screening prior to surgery; however, only a minority of patients are screened. The objective of this study was to determine the proficiency of anesthesiologists, otolaryngologists, and internists at predicting the presence of OSA by visual photographic analysis without the use of a computer program to assist, and determine if prediction accuracy varies by provider type.

Obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disorders, and perioperative considerations.

Data suggest that surgical patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be difficult to ventilate and intubate, and may be prone to postoperative complications. This article addresses the identification of patients at risk for OSA, epidemiology of the disorder, and treatment options, as well as the perioperative management of this population.

Screening for Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea before Ambulatory Surgery.

Purpose: The American Society of Anesthesia practice guidelines recommend that pediatric and adult patients who undergo ambulatory surgery be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). With this in mind, our objective was to assess the frequency of screening by anesthesia providers for the signs and symptoms of OSA in children undergoing surgery in an ambulatory setting.

Methods: Prospective single-blinded observational study of anesthesia providers' preoperative interview of caregivers of consecutive patients younger than age 18 who were scheduled for ambulatory surgery.

Perioperative Assessment and Management for Sleep Apnea in the Ambulatory Surgical Patient.

The overwhelming majority of surgical procedures performed in the United States are done on an outpatient basis. Patients with complicated medical problems are routinely scheduled for ambulatory procedures that have become progressively more complex. Appropriate patient selection is paramount to ensuring optimal perioperative outcomes, and the patient with known or suspected OSA presents unique challenges to the anesthesia care team regarding airway management, pain control, and postoperative monitoring requirements.

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a disorder of airway obstruction with multisystem implications and associated complications. OSAS affects children from infancy to adulthood and is responsible for behavioral, cognitive, and growth impairment as well as cardiovascular and perioperative respiratory morbidity and mortality. OSAS is associated commonly with comorbid conditions, including obesity and asthma.

Risk assessment of obstructive sleep apnea in a population of patients undergoing ambulatory surgery.

Study Objectives: The aims of this study were to: (a) assess the prevalence of diagnosed OSA and symptoms of undiagnosed OSA in a cohort of ambulatory surgical patients, and (b) characterize the frequency of postoperative complications in outpatients with a diagnosis of or a propensity to OSA.

Methods: Patients presenting for ambulatory surgery completed a self-administered questionnaire. Using a previously validated prediction model, the probability for OSA was determined.