Sleep quality and burnout: A Singapore study.

INTRODUCTION: Improved sleep hygiene is postulated to be protective against burnout. Previous studies assessing a potential association between poor sleep quality and burnout showed incongruent results. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between sleep quality and burnout. DESIGN: Setting and Participants: A survey was conducted in a large health care cluster in Singapore and included health care staff from different professions (N = 4777). The Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey was used to measure burnout across 3 sub-scales: Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization and Personal Accomplishment, while the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to gauge the participants' sleep quality. Multi-variable general linear model ANOVA was used for correlation analysis. RESULTS: There is a strong correlation between sleep quality and all 3 burnout sub-scales. PSQI is associated with Emotional Exhaustion (F value = 90.65, P-value <.0001), Depersonalization (F value = 49.46, P-value <.0001) and Personal Accomplishment (F value = 12.29, P-value <.0001). PSQI shows a significant linear upward trend with Emotional Exhaustion (linear contrast = 957.06, P-value <.0001) and with Depersonalization (linear contrast = 521.92, P-value <.0001). With Personal Accomplishment, PSQI shows a significant linear downward trend (linear contrast = 123.61, P-value <.0001). CONCLUSION: Poor sleep quality is progressively and linearly associated with burnout and its 3 sub-scales. Future studies that evaluate interventions which improve sleep quality among health care workers may be useful in reducing burnout and improving patient care.

Detection of positional brachial plexus injury by radial arterial line during spinal exposure before neuromonitoring confirmation: a retrospective case study.

To demonstrate the potential usefulness of radial arterial line monitoring in detection of brachial plexus injury in spinal surgery. Multiple neuromonitoring modalities including SEPs, MEPs and EMG were performed for a posterior thoracicolumbar surgery. Radial arterial line (A-line) was placed on the right wrist for arterial blood pressure monitoring. Reliable ulnar nerve SEPs, hand muscle MEPs and arterial blood pressure readings were obtained after patient was placed in a prone position. A-line malfunction was noted about 15 min after incision. Loss of ulnar nerve SEPs and hand muscle MEPs with a cold hand on the right was noticed when neuromonitoring resumed after spine exposure. SEPs, MEPs, A-line readings and hand temperature returned after modification of the right arm position. Radial arterial line monitoring may help detect positional brachial plexus injury in spinal surgery when continuous neuromonitoring is interrupted during spine exposure in prone position.

Protection of the remaining spinal cord function with intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring during paraparetic scoliosis surgery: a case report.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the usefulness of rectus femoris muscle MEPs monitoring in a paraparetic neuromuscular scoliosis case. METHODS: Multiple monitoring modalities including SEPs, MEPs and EMG were performed for an anterior and posterior correction surgery for a neuromuscular scoliosis patient with no motor and sensory function below the knees. RESULTS: Bilateral tibial nerve SEPs were absent, and no MEPs were recordable from anterior tibialis and abductor hallucis muscles bilaterally at baseline. Robust MEPs were recorded on abductor pollicis brevis and rectus femoris muscles bilaterally. Spinal cord monitoring mainly relied on MEPs from bilateral rectus femoris muscles (RF-MEPs). Twice RF-MEPs were absent following deformity correction and returned after removal of both rods. The patient's remaining spinal cord function was preserved. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring should be used for neuromuscular scoliosis cases with paraparesis if proximal function, such as the rectus femoris muscle, exists.

Variability of somatosensory evoked potential monitoring during scoliosis surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) of 65 patients undergoing scoliosis surgery were monitored by stimulation of posterior tibial nerve to observe variations in latencies and amplitudes. METHODS: Monitoring was divided into five stages: pre incision, spine exposure, instrumentation loading, deformity correction, and wound closure (stages 1-5, respectively). RESULTS: We found the latency showed significant increase and the amplitude significant reduction from stages 1 to 2. There was no significant variability from stages 2, 3, and 4, but both latency and amplitude recovered significantly from stage 4 to 5. This variability correlated with the changes in mean arterial pressure and end-tidal concentrations of isoflurane and was not dependent on the type of surgical procedure. If either 50% amplitude reduction or 10% latency prolongation of SEP compared with baseline recordings at stage 1 (pre incision) was used as warning criterion, the overall false-positive rate was 23.1%. It was significantly reduced to 7.7% if stage 2 (spine exposure) recordings were used as the baseline (P < 0.05). The false-positive rate decreased to 0% if a combined 50% amplitude reduction and 10% latency prolongation of SEP compared with the stage 2 baseline were used (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, we concluded that the time to obtain SEP baseline data should be adjusted to be post incision instead of pre incision.

The effects of isoflurane and propofol on intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring during spinal surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of isoflurane and propofol on intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) during spinal surgery. METHODS: Thirty-five patients were randomly assigned to receive isoflurane (n = 17) or propofol (n = 18) anesthesia. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) following posterior tibial nerve stimulation were recorded before induction as baselines. Isoflurane concentrations and propofol infusions were adjusted to obtain four pre-determined BIS ranges: 65-55, 55-45, 45-35 and 35-25. For each range, a stable state was maintained for at least 10 min to perform IONM. The SEP latency P40 and amplitude P40-N50, the onset latency and amplitude of transcranial motor evoked potentials (tcMEPs), and threshold intensity of triggered electromyographic activity (EMG) following pedicle screw stimulation were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with baseline values, P40 latency increased and P40-N50 amplitude decreased after anesthesia with isoflurane or propofol. Isoflurane caused a dose-dependent depression of SEPs, but propofol did not. TcMEPs were recordable and stable in all patients receiving propofol in each BIS range, but only recordable in 10 (58.8%) receiving isoflurane with BIS >55, and 3 (17.8%) with BIS <55. No difference was noted in triggered EMG. CONCLUSIONS: Isoflurane inhibited IONM more than propofol. Propofol is recommended for critical spinal surgery, particularly when motor pathway function is monitored.