Implementación de la reforma curricular de la Escuela de Medicina de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: analizando la experiencia / Implementation of curricular changes at a medical school

The accelerated scientific, technological, and social advances in recent years have posed new challenges for professional training institutions, where universities play a leading role. Medical schools have not been oblivious to this process. This is how Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile implemented in 2015 a curricular reform derived from the joint work of academics, students and graduates. For this purpose, a model consisting of stages was followed, including the identification of the problem, general assessment of needs, definition of purpose and learning objectives. We worked with surveys, focus groups and committees of academics and students to identify and map content within the mesh, review terminal learning objectives while creating and reviewing courses for the vertically and horizontally integrated delivery of content and competencies. The first cohort of the new curriculum entered in 2015, consisting of 126 students. The implementation required constant follow-up and monitoring, establishing changes and adjustments according to educational needs and unforeseen conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The implementation process of the new curriculum has been positive, adjusting to the defined strategic planning and responding to unexpected events.

Percepción de estudiantes de pregrado de Medicina de talleres de simulación de procedimientos médico-quirúrgicos / Undergraduate student's perception of clinical simulation workshops: assessment of an instrument

Background: Simulation is a useful training tool for undergraduate medical students. A valid instrument is needed to assess students' perception of simulation workshops. Aim: To adapt and validate an instrument to assess the undergraduate medical student's perception of simulation workshops of clinical procedures. Material and Methods: Delphi Methodology was used to adapt the instrument. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses were performed to determine the construct validity and Cronbach's Alpha (0 to 1) for internal consistency of the instrument. Results: A Delphi panel of 10 experts adapted a seven-item questionnaire (Likert scale 1-5; ranging from 7 to 35) and four open-questions. After 3-delphi-rounds, the instrument was administered to 210 students in six simulation training programs (Paracentesis, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Airway management, Sutures, Thoracentesis and Nursing Procedures). The instrument was considered unidimensional in the factorial analysis. The overall median (Q1-Q3) score was 34 ranging from 32 to 35 and the Cronbach Alpha coefficient was 0.72, indicating a good reliability. Conclusions: The perception questionnaire is a useful and reliable instrument to assess students' perceptions of clinical simulations.

Nuevos anticoagulantes orales y antiagregantes plaquetarios, en el período perioperatorio de cirugía no cardíaca. Parte 1: Nuevos anticoagulantes directos / Novel oral anticoagulants and new platelet antiaggregants, in the perioperative period of non cardiac surgery. Part 1: New direct oral anticoagulants

Due to the high frequency of patients with atrial fibrillation, thromboembolic disease, users of mechanical prosthetic valves, among other pathologies, in addition to their established use and advantages over vitamin K inhibitors, the use of novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) is becoming more frequent in the perioperative period. The anesthesiologist must consider the thromboembolic risk of the patient, risk of bleeding, the half-life of the NOAC in used, in addition to the patients renal and hepatic function. Rivaroxaban and Apixaban should be suspended according to the risk of surgical bleeding, 24 to 36 hours before a surgery with a low risk of bleeding and 48 hours for high. In the case of Dabigatran, these times should be extended. These drugs are safe in the perioperative period and in most cases, it is not necessary to do a bridging therapy with heparin. The reversal of this type of drugs is also of special interest, currently available with specific methods for dabigatrán. Antidotes for other drugs are being studied. The decision of using a neuraxial block should be evaluated according to the time in which the patient discontinued the drugs and their renal function, specially in the case of Dabigatran.

Por la alta frecuencia de pacientes con fibrilación auricular, enfermedad tromboembólica, usuarios de válvulas protésicas mecánicas, entre otras patologías, además, de su establecido uso y ventajas con respecto a los inhibidores de vitamina K, cada vez es más frecuente el uso de los nuevos anticoagulantes orales (NACO) en el perioperatorio. Su manejo tiene características especiales. Debemos considerar el riesgo tromboembólico del paciente, de sangrado, la vida media del NACO utilizado, además de las funciones depurativas del organismo. Rivaroxaban y apixaban deben ser suspendidos según el riesgo de sangrado quirúrgico, 24 a 36 horas previo a una cirugía de bajo riesgo de sangrado y 48 horas para una de alto riesgo. En el caso del Dabigatrán y por la importancia de la función renal en su eliminación, estos tiempos deben extenderse. Estos fármacos son seguros en el perioperatorio y en la mayor parte de los casos no es necesario hacer terapia puente con heparina. La reversión es también de especial interés. Actualmente, se dispone con métodos específicos para dabigatrán y potenciales antídotos para los otros fármacos. La posibilidad de realizar un bloqueo neuroaxial debe ser evaluado según el tiempo en que el paciente suspendió los medicamentos y su función renal en caso de Dabigatrán.

Consideraciones perioperatorias en pacientes consumidores de drogas ilícitas de uso frecuente / Perioperative considerations in patients consumers of illicit drugs frequently used

Debido al importante aumento del consumo de drogas ilícitas o recreativas en nuestra sociedad, es cada vez más probable que nos encontremos con pacientes usuarios de ellas en el contexto quirúrgico. Es importante conocer los principales efectos de las sustancias ilícitas más frecuentemente usadas por los pacientes sometidos a cirugía, como cocaína, marihuana, pasta base de cocaína y psicoestimulantes, como también los efectos más significativos que pueden producirse al combinar estas sustancias recreativas con fármacos relacionados a la cirugía y anestesia. Asimismo, es relevante tener en cuenta las principales consideraciones perioperatorias en el proceso quirúrgico y anestésico de los pacientes consumidores de estas drogas ilícitas. La cocaína altera principalmente los sistemas cardiovascular, respiratorio, nervioso central, gastrointestinal y renal, teniendo los pacientes adictos mayor riesgo de infarto agudo al miocardio, arritmias y crisis hipertensivas arteriales. La marihuana inhibe los receptores muscarínicos de acetilcolina, afectando principalmente los sistemas cardiovascular, respiratorio y neuropsiquiátrico, teniendo un rol importante en el manejo analgésico intra y postoperatorio. La pasta base de cocaína provoca un aumento transitorio en la neurotransmisión dopaminérgica, siendo similar a la cocaína por lo que se recomienda un manejo perioperatorio parecido. Las drogas psicoestimulantes tienen efecto simpaticomimético, afectando esencialmente los sistemas cardiovascular y metabólico. Esta revisión resume la evidencia médica vigente sobre el tema, con el fin de unificar criterios y sugerir pautas de manejo de estos pacientes durante el período perioperatorio, donde los efectos de estas drogas ilícitas posiblemente sean más significativos, pudiendo generar complicaciones graves y poniendo en riesgo la vida del paciente.

Due to the significant increase of illicit or recreational drugs in our society, it is increasingly likely that we find patients using them in the surgical context. It is important to understand the main effects of illegal substances most commonly used by patients undergoing surgery, such as cocaine, marijuana, cocaine paste and psychostimulants, as the most significant effects that can be produced by combining these recreational drugs with related substances of surgery and anesthesia. It is also relevant to consider the major perioperative considerations (surgical and anesthetic) in consumer patients of these illicit drugs. Cocaine alters the cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous, gastrointestinal and renal systems, addicted patients taking higher risk of acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmias and arterial hypertensive crisis. Marijuana inhibits muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, primarily affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory and neuropsychiatric systems, and has an important role in intra and postoperative analgesic management. The cocaine base paste causes transient increase in dopaminergic neurotransmission, being similar to cocaine so a similar perioperative management is recommended. The psychostimulant drugs are sympathomimetic effect, essentially affecting the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. This review summarizes the current medical evidence on the subject, in order to unify criteria and management guidelines suggest these patients during the perioperative period, where the effects of these illicit drugs are likely to be more significant, potentially leading to serious complications and endangering the patient's life.

Cómo planificar, diseñar y organizar un centro de cirugía ambulatoria / How to plan, design and organize an ambulatory surgery center

Los centros de cirugía ambulatoria han contribuido al progreso de esta cirugía y se caracterizan por ser eficientes, productivos, rentables y generar alta satisfacción. Construir un centro de cirugía ambulatoria requiere constituir un equipo multidisciplinario encargado de desarrollar un proyecto que evalúe la viabilidad económica, seleccione el tipo de centro a construir, determine el tamaño y el diseño del centro y defina la dotación de personal; con esta información se realiza la evaluación económica final que decide la factibilidad de construir el centro. Organizar el inicio de actividades y el funcionamiento de este servicio requiere determinar horarios, modalidad de trabajo, flujos de circulación y funciones del personal, a través de protocolos que definan, describan y coordinen todos los procesos clínicos y administrativos involucrados desde la indicación de la cirugía hasta el alta del paciente. La eficiencia del pabellón quirúrgico es determinante en el funcionamiento de un centro de cirugía ambulatoria. Varios factores contribuyen a la eficiencia de pabellón, y el más crítico de estos es el tiempo entre cirugías o tiempo de recambio de pacientes, el cual es factible de optimizar. La cirugía ambulatoria es una modalidad de trabajo quirúrgico que requiere un servicio clínico propio, adecuadamente planificado, diseñado y organizado para lograr sus objetivos y ventajas.

Ambulatory surgery centers have contributed to the progress of ambulatory surgery and they are characterized by its efficiency, productivity and to produce high satisfaction. To build an outpatient surgery center a multidisciplinary team should be responsible to develop a project that to assess the economic viability, to select the type of center, to determine the size and the design of center and to set de staffing; with this information the final economic evaluation that decide the feasibility to build the center must be performed. To organize the launch activities and the operation of this service requires determining schedules, working mode, traffic flows and staff functions through protocols that to define, to describe and to coordinate all clinic and administrative process involved from the surgery indication to the patient discharge. The operating room efficiency is determining factor in the ambulatory surgery center functioning. Several factors contribute to the operating room efficiency, the most critical of which is the time between surgical procedures o turnover time and this time is feasible to optimize. Ambulatory surgery is a mode of surgical work requiring its own clinical service properly planned, designed and organized to achieve its objectives and advantages.

Dexametasona para profilaxis de náuseas y vómitos postoperatorios: efecto sobre la glicemia en pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 y en no diabéticos sometidos a cirugía laparoscópica / Effects on blood glucose of prophylactic dexamethasone for postoperative nausea and vomiting in diabetics and non-diabetics

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) prophylaxis with dexamethasone may produce significant hyperglycemia in the postoperative period. Aim: To evaluate if this effect is of greater severity in type 2 diabetics compared with non-diabetic patients. Material and Methods: Forty non-diabetic and thirty type 2 diabetic patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were studied in a prospective and double-blind fashion manner. Patients were randomly distributed into 4 groups: Group I, non-diabetics control (n = 20), Group II, non-diabetics dexamethasone (n = 20), Group III, type 2 diabetics control (n = 15), and Group I V, type 2 diabetics dexamethasone (n = 15). Immediately after induction, patients in groups I and III received isotonic saline and patients in the dexamethasone groups received 8 mg iv of the steroid. Capillary blood glucose concentrations were measured at baseline and every 2 hours during the first 12 hours since the start of surgery. A linear mixed effect model, adjusted for baseline capillary glucose concentration, age and duration of surgery was used to analyze the data. Results: No effect of the presence of diabetes mellitus was observed in the evolution of glucose concentrations. There was a difference in capillary glucose concentrations between patients who received dexamethasone and placebo that started 2 hours post-intervention, reaching a mean maximum difference of 34 mg/dl (adjusted model, p < 0.001) at 10 hours post-intervention. Conclusions: In this study, Type 2 diabetic patients did not show a higher susceptibility than non-diabetics to develop postoperative hyperglycemia after the use of prophylactic dexamethasone for PONV.