[Implementation of a thermal management concept to prevent perioperative hypothermia : Results of a 6­month period in clinical practice]. / Umsetzung eines Wärmemanagementkonzeptes zur Vermeidung von perioperativer Hypothermie : Ergebnisse eines Sechsmonatszeitraums in der klinischen Praxis.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative hypothermia is defined as a core temperature below 36 °C. The literature shows that perioperative hypothermia is a frequent but potentially preventable complication of the surgical process. The risk of experiencing perioperative hypothermia is inherent for all anesthetized patients, independent of the type of surgery. Unless preventative measures are taken, perioperative hypothermia occurs in 50 to 70 % of all surgical patients. In Germany and Austria the guideline "Preventing inadvertent perioperative hypothermia" has been published. In Wolfsburg we started already in 2012 with a standard operating procedure to prevent perioperative hypothermia in all surgical patients. In two clinical departments we established an additional prewarming-protocol starting prior to induction of anaesthesia on the normal ward on the day of surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For a period of 6 months we analyzed all temperature data of patients having undergone surgery, beginning before the start of general anaesthesia until the end of the operation. RESULTS: In total 3228 patients were enrolled into the study. Prewarming was performed in 1329 patients. In 1902 patients active warming was limited to the intraoperative period. The total rate of hypothermia in all patients was 32.6 %, whereas the rate of hypothermia at the end of the operation was 19.3 %. In the group of patients without prewarming the overall rate was 39.1 vs. 25 % at the end of the operation. In the groups of patients with prewarming the total rates of hypothermia were 25.2 and 24.7 % overall and 14.4 and 12.5 % at the end of the operation. In multifactorial regression it could be shown that patients without prewarming had a 1.8-fold increased risk of perioperative hypothermia compared to patients with intraoperative warming only. CONCLUSION: We conclude that temperature management is a challenge in the clinical situation, and that it is difficult to achieve rates of hypothermia close to zero. The addition of prewarming was very effective in improving the results in our patients.

[Quality of OR planning. Avoiding operating room underutilization or overutilization]. / Qualität der OP-Planung. Vermeidung von Unter- oder Uberauslastung des OP-Bereiches.

BACKGROUND: Accurate scheduling of operations is essential for an efficiently used OR. The aim of this investigation was to describe the quality of OR scheduling in the analyzed OR. Furthermore suggestions for avoiding underutilization or overutilization through optimized OR planning should be addressed if possible. METHODS: The planned duration, the real duration and the differences in minutes of 10,831 operations were analyzed. The statistical distribution was determined and the median, the quartiles, the interquartile range and the number of operations with a real duration lasting longer than planned were calculated. All operations were grouped in ascending order from the shortest planned duration. All planning groups were analyzed statistically and the results were compared. RESULTS: The planned OR durations did not show a normal distribution and 34% of all operations showed a real duration lasting longer than planned. The median of the differences was 10 min indicating that 50% of all operations were finished within 10 min earlier than planned. Operations with planned longer durations (>150 min) showed significantly more frequently a real duration lasting longer than planned. Furthermore, the differences between planned and real durations were additionally larger when planned durations were longer than 150 min. CONCLUSION: Prognosis of operations with longer planned duration (>150 min) should be improved in the OR area analyzed. Scheduling of these operations at the beginning of the OR list or with a sufficient time interval towards the end of the appointed OR block time within the OR list can avoid or at least minimize underutilization and overutilization of the OR.

[Operation room management: from degree of utilization to distribution of capacities. Cost reduction without decreasing productivity in the operation room using a new index]. / OP-Management: Vom "Nutzungsgrad-Schnitt-Naht-Zeit" zur OP-Tisch-Verteilung : Kostensenkung ohne Leistungsminderung im OP-Bereich mit einer neuen Kennzahl.

BACKGROUND: The new index "degree of operation room (OR) utilization" describes the ratio between possible and actual OR utilization with purely surgical time. The possible OR utilization with purely surgical time was calculated by eliminating the time necessary for induction and emergence from anaesthesia, the time necessary for surgical measurements directly before the first incision (i.e. skin disinfection) and directly after the last suture (i.e. wound dressing) of an operation from the time an operating room could theoretically be used with purely surgical times (the theoretical block time). The possibility of distributing block time based on the effectiveness of surgeons and to reduce costs by identifying waste of block time was investigated using the "degree of OR utilization" method. METHODS: Using our own anaesthesia data base with an average of 12,000 anaesthetic procedures per annum, the degree of OR utilization and the need for additional block time for each clinic performing operative procedures in the OR centre of the hospital were analyzed. The need for additional block time and the costs for additional OR staff (including anaesthesiologists and nurses) were then calculated in US dollars. RESULTS: After redistribution it was possible to reduce the OR capacities and costs for OR staff (including anaesthesiologists and nurses) by a minimum of 280.142 US dollars per year. CONCLUSIONS: The application of the new index "degree of OR utilization" enables the OR manager to distribute OR capacities to surgeons with effective use of block time. This leads to cost reduction without minimizing surgical productivity or income and therefore to a higher level of OR efficiency.

[Patient-adapted, ion selective analysis--characteristics of a new instrument]. / Patientennahe, ionenselektive Analytik--Charakterisierung eines neuen Gerätes.

We report on a newly developed instrument with ion-selective electrodes (IONOMETER EF) for the measurement of sodium, potassium and calcium. The measurements in whole blood and plasma from intensive care patients were compared with flame photometry. We assessed the precision and accuracy of these measurements. The precision of the analysis is excellent: K+ 4.69 +/- 0.03 mmol/l; Na+ 139.2 +/- 0.27 mmol/l; Ca++: 1.23 +/- 0.03 mmol/l. When assessing the accuracy, the characteristics of the ionselective device have to be considered, as well as differences in solvent volumes, when compared with flame photometry. The correlation coefficient of potentiometric analyses of whole blood and plasma is r = 0.99. It seems to be appropriate to define new normal ranges for ionselective electrode systems.