Anesthesiology Commons^™

Implementation Of A Pre-Anesthesia Take-Home Evaluation (Pathe) As A Means Of Process Improvement: A Best Practice Recommendation, Russell Gray, Hunter Brown, Trey Galloway

Doctoral Projects

The pre-anesthesia evaluation (PAE) is a vital component to anesthesia providers when choosing an appropriate anesthetic plan for patients requiring surgery. The PAE, pre-anesthesia risk-factor assessment, and provision of pre-anesthesia instructions are standards of care implemented in order to assess the patient’s likely outcome of surgery and anesthesia as well as stratify any known risk factors to optimize surgical/anesthetic outcomes. Any disruption in this process could potentially lead to decreased patient/provider satisfaction, reduced patient compliance with pre-anesthetic instructions, reduced patient safety, and unnecessary financial burden.

After the completion of a literature review, the need for a best practice recommendation was …

Barriers To Preoperative Warming: Best Practice Guideline, Tyler Comans, Zachary Hays, Caleb Leach

Doctoral Projects

The lack of preoperative warming has a direct relationship to perioperative hypothermia complications which include, but are not limited to: increased infection rate, coagulopathies, and increased myocardial oxygen consumption; all contributing to poor patient and facility outcomes. Implementation of an evidence-based educational module with visual aid can potentially increase the utilization of active warming techniques in the preoperative setting by perioperative staff. The DNP Project investigated barriers to preoperative warming by perioperative staff at a large teaching hospital in the southeastern United States. Barriers were assessed by a voluntary survey sent to 87 perioperative staff members. Twenty-two surveys were completed …

Decreasing Pre-Procedural Fasting Times: A Benchmark Study, Sheila Gasparek

MSN Capstone Projects

On a busy Surgical Trauma unit, scheduled procedures and operations are often delayed for priority emergent cases. Patients admitted to the unit with delayed procedures often endure extended fasting times beyond the six-hour intention of standard nothing by mouth (NPO) after midnight fasting order. With prolonged fasting times, patients inquire about pending surgery times and dietary options. Some providers may allow ice chips, but most doctors prefer patients to remain NPO in case Operating Room availability opens for surgery, leaving already anxious and uncomfortable patients more frustrated as prolonged fasting affects patients’ physical and psychological well-being (Anderson & Comrie, 2009). …

Qualifying Thirst Distress In The Acute Hospital Setting – Validation Of A Patient-Reported Outcome Measure., Sharon Carey, Jacob Waller, Lucy Yueming Wang, Suzie Ferrie

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

Objective: This study aims to examine validity and sensitivity of two visual analogue scales (VASs), measuring thirst intensity and thirst distress, and compare them with a validated thirst discomfort scale (TDS).

Methods: This is a non-interventional, prospective and cross-sectional study. Researchers recruited 161 patients from an acute surgical hospital, who were identified at time of interaction as fasting. Data was collected using a questionnaire, which included the TDS. Criterion validity and construct validity was tested for the two VASs. Sensitivity was assessed based on the amount of time fasting from solid foods or fluids.

Results: Results showed the VAS for …

Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation For Supraclavicular And Femoral Nerve Blocks Utilizing Ultrasound Guidance For Student Nurse Anesthetists, Mitchell Fowler, Christopher Bond

Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this DNP project was to create a tool to teach and evaluate student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) at TheUniversity of Southern Mississippi (USM) on supraclavicular and femoral nerve blocks to promote safety in the clinical setting. An objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE) for ultrasound-guided supraclavicular and femoral nerve blocks was created as the basis for this project. Best-practice techniques as identified by the AANA’s 14^thstandard of nurse anesthesia practice were researched and used in the development of the OSCE to promote a culture of safety for SRNAs and patients (AANA, 2019).

A culture of safety …

Examining Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (Eras) Protocol Compliance, Joseph Vecore, Jonathon Baich, Linda Mcdonald

Conference Presentation Abstracts

Background: The development of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have allowed for improved patient outcomes by utilizing a multimodal approach. The use of ERAS for surgical procedures reduces perioperative complications that could lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and length of stay. Additionally, by utilizing a multimodal approach, ERAS protocols help limit opioid use during the perioperative period. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to examine the rate of compliance to the ERAS protocol during colorectal surgery at Beaumont Hospital- Royal Oak. The different levels of compliance were evaluated for their effects on the following patient outcomes: opioid …

Creation And Implementation Of An Intraoperative Lidocaine Infusion Protocol For Gastric Surgery, Kayla Donnay, Eric Howard, Lindsey Krueger, Linda Mcdonald, Kyle Nelson

Conference Presentation Abstracts

Background: The recent opioid epidemic in the United States has damaged the country’s public health system and led to devastating patient outcomes. Healthcare providers are responsible to do their part in reducing these negative consequences. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to develop and implement an evidence-based protocol for an intraoperative lidocaine infusion during gastric surgery. The project consisted of five parts: (1) development of an evidenced-based Intraoperative Lidocaine Infusion Protocol, (2) education of the anesthesia team, (3) collection of baseline data, (4) implementation of the Intraoperative Lidocaine Infusion Protocol and (5) evaluation of the results. Method: Baseline …

Pain Control: Opioid Vs. Nonopioid Analgesia During The Immediate Postoperative Period, Shamsie M. Lumpkin Bsn, Srna, Isaac W. Parrish Bsn, Srna, Austin S. Terrell Bsn, Srna, Dwayne S. Accardo Dnp, Aprn, Crna

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background Opioid analgesia has become the mainstay for acute pain management in the postoperative setting. However, the use of opioid medications comes with significant risks and side effects. Due to increasing numbers of prescriptions to those with chronic pain, opioid medications have become more expensive while becoming less effective due to the buildup of patient tolerance. The idea of opioid-free analgesic techniques has rarely been breached in many hospitals. Emerging research has shown that opioid-sparing approaches have resulted in lower reported pain scores across the board, as well as significant cost reductions to hospitals and insurance agencies. In addition to …

Dexmedetomidine Vs Fentanyl In Attenuating The Sympathetic Surge During Endotracheal Intubation: A Scoping Review, Alexandra Schwieger, Kaelee Shrewsbury, Paul Shaver, Dwayne Accardo Dnp, Crna

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background Direct laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation after induction of anesthesia can cause a reflex sympathetic surge of catecholamines caused by airway stimulation. This may cause hypertension, tachycardia, and arrhythmias. This reflex can be detrimental in patients with poor cardiac reserve and can be poorly tolerated and lead to adverse events such as myocardial ischemia. Fentanyl, a potent opioid, with a rapid onset and short duration of action is given during induction to block the sympathetic response. With a rise in the opioid crisis and finding ways to change the practice in medicine to use less opioids, dexmedetomidine, an alpha 2 …

Opioid Free Anesthesia To Prevent Post Operative Nausea/Vomiting, Aleksander Acred, Milena Devineni, Lindsey Blake, Cindi Dabney Dnp, Crna

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare the incidence of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in opioid-utilizing and opioid-free general anesthesia. Background PONV is an extremely common, potentially dangerous side effect of general anesthesia. PONV is caused by a collection of anesthetic and surgical interventions. Current practice to prevent PONV is to use 1-2 antiemetics during surgery, identify high risk patients and utilize tracheal intubation over laryngeal airways when indicated. Current research suggests minimizing the use of volatile anesthetics and opioids can reduce the incidence of PONV, but this does not reflect current practice.

Methods In this scoping …

Efficacy Of Programmed Intermittent Epidural Boluses For Labor Analgesia, Keisha Joyce

Nurse Anesthesia Student Research Posters

Programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB) is an automated method of administering epidural local analgesia with or without opioids. Fixed boluses at scheduled intervals can be utilized as an alternative to a continuous epidural infusion (CEI) alone or as a background administration with a PCEA technique. The purpose of this research project is to provide education regarding PIEB and investigate the benefits and challenges of implementing this new technique into practice.

Excessive Oxygen Administration During General Anesthesia, Soleil Gibbs

Nurse Anesthesia Student Research Posters

Nearly all patients undergoing general anesthesia will be administered oxygen and 83% of patients will be exposed to potentially preventable hyperoxemia (Suzuki et al., 2018). Physiological changes occur within the body when exposed to supranormal oxygen levels. Nurse Anesthetists must evaluate the potential risk and benefit of oxygen therapy. A review of the literature was completed to provide evidence based practice guidance to Anesthesia Providers regarding the use of perioperative oxygen administration.

Eras Protocol For Lower Extremity Orthopedic Procedures, Tyler Mcdonald, Joshua Vaughn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The demand for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) will continue to rise as life expectancy increases. Coupling increased age with the increased prevalence of both obesity and osteoarthritis, the need for total joint arthroplasties is likely to increase (Oseka & Pecka, 2018). The frequency of arthroplasty procedures and the associated recovery period lead to heavy economic demands felt by most healthcare systems (Stowers et al., 2016). To address this burden, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have been implemented at institutions and are designed to improve patient outcomes while simultaneously limiting cost and reducing readmission rates …

The Role Of Awake Fiberoptic Intubation In The Difficult Airway, Robert Montague

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Awake fiberoptic intubation (AFOI) is a specialized technique used by anesthesia providers to decrease the risk of airway management during tracheal intubation of a predicted difficult airway. The rate of AFOI has decreased, and the advent of the video laryngoscope may be a contributing factor. However, there is still a need for AFOI. This case study reviews the relevance of, current indications for, and best practices for performing AFOI. Is AFOI still relevant in current anesthesia practice when managing airway difficulties such as limited mouth opening, obstructive sleep apnea, limited neck extension, head and neck pathology, morbid obesity, and progressive …

Dexmedetomidine As An Adjunct To Regional And Neuraxial Anesthesia, Tobin Tollett

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Regional and neuraxial anesthetic techniques are ever-expanding, and an understanding of the tools, medications, and adjuncts associated with these techniques is prudent for anesthesia providers. One goal of these techniques is to extend pain management beyond the initial surgical phase by using long-acting local anesthetics with or without adjunct medications. The purpose of this review is to detail the clinical utility, benefits, and risks of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to regional and neuraxial anesthetic techniques. This review includes an analysis of literature of over 20 randomized controlled trials comparing the use of dexmedetomidine to other adjuncts in common regional and …

Evaluating The Clinical Utility Of A Novel Electroencephalography System For Assessing Perioperative Neurocognition In Older Surgical Patients, Lloyd H. Barnwell Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a public health and research priority (American Society of Anesthesiologists, 2019). POD is a risk factor for long-term neurocognitive decline, and the rate of decline is directly proportional to the severity of POD (Vasunilashorn et al., 2018). Baseline cognitive function is a strong, independent predictor for POD (Culley et al., 2017). The International Perioperative Neurotoxicity Working Group recommends baseline cognitive function be assessed for older patients prior to surgery and anesthesia (Berger, et al., 2018). Perioperative cognitive screening tools trialed in anesthesia are not routinely incorporated into clinical practice related to validity, reliability, or practicality problems …