Optimizing Outcomes After Cleft Palate Repair: Design and Implementation of a Perioperative Clinical Care Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the development process and clinical impact of implementing a standardized perioperative clinical care pathway for cleft palate repair. DESIGN: Medical records of patients undergoing primary cleft palate repair prior to pathway implementation were retrospectively reviewed as a historical control group (N = 40). The historical cohort was compared to a prospectively collected group of patients who were treated according to the pathway (N = 40). PATIENTS: Healthy, nonsyndromic infants undergoing primary cleft palate repair at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. INTERVENTIONS: A novel, standardized pathway was created through an iterative process, combining literature review with expert opinion and discussions with institutional stakeholders. The pathway integrated multimodal analgesia throughout the perioperative course and included intraoperative bilateral maxillary nerve blocks. Perioperative protocols for preoperative fasting, case timing, antiemetics, intravenous fluid management, and postoperative diet advancement were standardized. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes include: (1) length of hospital stay, (2) cumulative opioid consumption, (3) oral intake postoperatively. RESULTS: Patients treated according to the pathway had shorter mean length of stay (31 vs 57 hours, P < .001), decreased cumulative morphine consumption (77 vs 727 µg/kg, P < .001), shorter time to initiate oral intake (9.3 vs 22 hours, P = .01), and greater volume of oral intake in first 24 hours postoperatively (379 vs 171 mL, P < .001). There were no differences in total anesthesia time, total surgical time, or complication rates between the control and treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a standardized perioperative clinical care pathway for primary cleft palate repair is safe, feasible, and associated with reduced length of stay, reduced opioid consumption, and improved oral intake postoperatively.

Update on the 2012 guidelines for the management of pediatric traumatic brain injury - information for the anesthesiologist.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant contributor to death and disability in children. Considering the prevalence of pediatric TBI, it is important for the clinician to be aware of evidence-based recommendations for the care of these patients. The first edition of the Guidelines for the Acute Medical Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Infants, Children, and Adolescents was published in 2003. The Guidelines were updated in 2012, with significant changes in the recommendations for hyperosmolar therapy, temperature control, hyperventilation, corticosteroids, glucose therapy, and seizure prophylaxis. Many of these interventions have implications in the perioperative period, and it is the responsibility of the anesthesiologist to be familiar with these guidelines.