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Radiation exposure to operating room personnel during transperineal interstitial permanent prostate brachytherapy.

PURPOSE: To identify factors associated with radiation exposure (RE) to operating room personnel during transperineal interstitial permanent prostate brachytherapy (TIPPB). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between May 1998 and December 2000, 155 patients underwent TIPPB with fluoroscopic and ultrasound guidance. Data for each case included: operating room time (OT), anesthesia time (AT), fluoroscopy time (FT), number and type of seed implanted, total seed activity, and resident participation. RESULTS: Personnel RE per case, FT, OT, and AT decreased as case number increased. Whole body badge dose per case decreased from a mean of 0.15+/-0.01 mSv (15+/-1 mrem) in 1998 to 0.074+/-0.011 mSv (7+/-1 mrem) in 2000. Average FT per case decreased from a mean of 17:27 min (range, 10:40-28:23) in 1998 to 12:08 min (range, 6:40-31:00) in 2000. Resident participation was associated with increased FT. Mean whole body and ring badge doses for the treating radiation oncologist were 0.0076 mSv/min (0.76 mrem/min) and 0.05 mSv/min (5.26 mrem/min) of FT, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: FT was the predominant factor that related to RE during TIPPB. Treating radiation oncologists were exposed to less than 20 mSv per 100 cases, significantly less than other fluoroscopically guided procedures. Nonetheless, appropriate radiation exposure precautions during TIPPB should continue.

Body Burden↗

Virtual reality in the operating room of the future.

In cooperation with the Max-Delbrück-Centrum/Robert-Rössle-Klinik (MDC/RRK) in Berlin, the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics is currently designing and developing a scenario for the operating room of the future. The goal of this project is to integrate new analysis, visualization and interaction tools in order to optimize and refine tumor diagnostics and therapy in combination with laser technology and remote stereoscopic video transfer. Hence, a human 3-D reference model is reconstructed using CT, MR, and anatomical cryosection images from the National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project. Applying segmentation algorithms and surface-polygonization methods a 3-D representation is obtained. In addition, a "fly-through" the virtual patient is realized using 3-D input devices (data glove, tracking system, 6-DOF mouse). In this way, the surgeon can experience really new perspectives of the human anatomy. Moreover, using a virtual cutting plane any cut of the CT volume can be interactively placed and visualized in realtime. In conclusion, this project delivers visions for the application of effective visualization and VR systems. Commonly known as Virtual Prototyping and applied by the automotive industry long ago, this project shows, that the use of VR techniques can also prototype an operating room. After evaluating design and functionality of the virtual operating room, MDC plans to build real ORs in the near future. The use of VR techniques provides a more natural interface for the surgeon in the OR (e.g., controlling interactions by voice input). Besides preoperative planning future work will focus on supporting the surgeon in performing surgical interventions. An optimal synthesis of real and synthetic data, and the inclusion of visual, aural, and tactile senses in virtual environments can meet these requirements. This Augmented Reality could represent the environment for the surgeons of tomorrow.

Computer Simulation↗

A survey of static and dynamic work postures of operating room staff.

Work in health care units is associated with considerable physical strain and many musculoskeletal complaints. Most investigations have concentrated on the work of general hospital nurses; little is known about the physical stress load on other health care workers. We therefore carried out an ergonomic study amongst operating room staff in order to (i) determine the work (posture) stress load on this particular group of health care workers and the effect of static posture on this stress, (ii) identify activities involving poor work postures, and (iii) determine differences between specialties in regard to work posture stress load. The work postures and related work activities of four different groups of staff in operating rooms (surgeons, assistant anaesthesists, instrumentation nurses and circulating nurses) were recorded and evaluated using the specified Ovako Working posture Analysing System (OWAS). Observation during the course of 18 daily surgical programmes (total number of observations: 3714) in the specialties general surgery and ear-nose-throat (ENT) surgery revealed that the work-load according to OWAS for circulating nurses and assistant anaesthesists was not harmful. Some work postures seen among instrumentation nurses and surgeons, however, need improvement. The work posture stress load in these groups is mainly due to the high prevalence of static work postures during the activities "surgery" (surgeons) and "assisting surgery" (instrumentation nurses). Significant differences in ergonomic stress load were observed between general surgeons and ENT surgeons. This survey in operating theatres relates work postures to basic activities and can be used as a starting point from which to improve work conditions in order to reduce or eliminate physical complaints among operating room staff.

Ergometry↗

Heavy contamination of operating room air by Penicillium species: identification of the source and attempts at decontamination.

Increased rates of nosocomial infection caused by filamentous fungi in immunocompromised patients prompted microbiologic surveillance of the central air handling systems in our hospital. During a 4-year period, Penicillium species were isolated from 47 patients, including two with surgical wound infections caused by Penicillium. Counts of Penicillium in operating room air were much higher (195 colony-forming units [CFU]/m3) than in 95% filtered corridor air (14.6 CFU/m3; p less than 0.01). Ventilation ducts and terminal units lined with fiberglass in the operating room air handling system were heavily contaminated by Penicillium; the fiberglass was also contaminated with Aspergillus species. Corrective measures included filter replacement and decontamination of the ventilation system with aerosolized chlorine solution. Although operating room air remained free of filamentous fungi during the next 7 months, contamination eventually recurred and required repeated decontamination. We believe that certification guidelines are highly desirable for hospital ventilation systems, especially if the system serves immunocompromised patients.

Air Microbiology↗

Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis--implications for operating room personnel.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B and C are important blood borne viruses and pose occupational risks for operating room personnel. Increasing numbers of patients with these infections are appearing in Irish hospitals. In this review we describe in detail the occupational risks of these blood borne viruses for operating room personnel and how best to minimise them.

Blood-Borne Pathogens↗

Photic retinopathy from the operating room microscope.

Photic retinopathy was produced in two patients after a 60-minute exposure to light from an operating room microscope (Zeiss OpMi 6). The first patient had a blind eye with clear (phakic) media and a normal-appearing retina. A 60-minute exposure produced an oval gray lesion in the posterior pole at the level of the pigment epithelium. With an ultraviolet-400 filter added for a second exposure, a second lesion was produced. The second patient received a 60-minute exposure (without an ultraviolet filter) 72 hours before enucleation for a malignant melanoma. This produced photic retinopathy that resulted in a slight decrease in central visual acuity and a dense paracentral scotoma. This conclusively establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between exposure to the light from an operating room microscope and a retinal lesion in the human eye.

Adult↗

A comparison of communication needs of charge nurses in two operating room suites.

To achieve the potential inherent in the use of computer applications in distributed environments, we need to understand the information needs of users. Communication is the method by which information is transferred and is essential for all organizational interaction. The primary goal of operating room coordination is to insure the prompt, safe, and effective care of surgical patients. Nevertheless, larger organizational goals and characteristics can influence individual operating room information needs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the differing information needs in two operating suites by documenting the communication of OR charge nurses. A data collection tool was developed to record: 1) the purpose of the communication, 2) mode of communication, 3) the target individual, and 4) the length of time taken for each occurrence. The chosen data collection categories provided a functional structure for data collection and analysis involving communication. Study findings are discussed within the context of opportunities for application design

Appointments and Schedules↗

[Usefulness of monitoring forehead deep-tissue temperature as an index of core temperature in adult patients undergoing laparotomies under general anesthesia--investigation in operating rooms with air-movement control system using vertical flow].

BACKGROUND: Acute changes in air temperature in the vicinity of the patents' forehead may impair clinical usefulness of the forehead deep-tissue thermometry. We thus investigated usefulness of monitoring the forehead deep-tissue temperature as an index of core temperature in 12 adult patients undergoing laparotomies in operating rooms with air-movement control system using vertical flow. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal, forehead deep-tissue, palm deep-tissue, and fingertip skin-surface temperatures were recorded during surgery every 5 minutes in operating rooms where room temperature was thermostatically controlled at approximately 25 degrees C. The patients were not actively warmed with forced-air warmers, but covered with cotton blankets where possible. The deep-tissue and fingertip skin-surface temperatures were compared with the nasopharyngeal temperature using regression and Bland and Altman's analyses. RESULTS: The four temperatures continued decreasing during surgery, and the nasopharyngeal temperature decreased to below 36 degrees C 2 hours after induction of anesthesia. Only the forehead deep-tissue temperature satisfactorily correlated with the nasopharyngeal temperature (r = 0.76, n = 300, P < 0.0001). The difference between nasopharyngeal and forehead temperatures was +0.26 degree C, and its standard deviation was 0.34 degree C. CONCLUSIONS: The forehead deep-tissue temperature has sufficient accuracy and precision for clinical use in operating rooms with air-movement control system using vertical flow. However, the core temperature appears to be slightly underestimated with the forehead deep-tissue thermometry.

Adult↗

Comparison of personal pollution monitoring techniques for use in the operating room.

Three personal pollution monitors (adsorption tubes, diffusion dosimeters and evacuated bottles) have been tested, in routinely used operating rooms and under controlled laboratory conditions, for their accuracy and reproducibility relative to one another and to measurements by infra-red spectroscopy. All the techniques provide time-weighted average measurements of pollutant concentrations. Tubes and dosimeters measure halothane with greater accuracy than that required by N.I.O.S.H. regulations, but neither technique can measure inorganic pollutants such as nitrous oxide. The prototype evacuated bottles tested are unsatisfactory at their present stage of development for the measurement of both halothane and nitrous oxide concentrations. We believe that, at the present time, surveys of operating room pollution can best be carried out using adsorption tubes of diffusion dosimeters for personal halothane concentrations and a portable infra-red spectrometer for measurement of background nitrous oxide concentrations.

Adsorption↗

Surgical face masks in modern operating rooms--a costly and unnecessary ritual?

Following the commissioning of a new suite of operating rooms air movement studies showed a flow of air away from the operating table towards the periphery of the room. Oral microbial flora dispersed by unmasked male and female volunteers standing one metre from the table failed to contaminate exposed settle plates placed on the table. The wearing of face masks by non-scrubbed staff working in an operating room with forced ventilation seems to be unnecessary.

Air Microbiology↗

Exposure to blood-containing aerosols in the operating room: a preliminary study.

A personal sampling study was conducted to assess exposure to blood aerosols in the operating room. The breathing zones of primary and assistant surgeons were monitored using a personal cascade impactor configured with three stages corresponding to effective cut-off aerodynamic diameters of 14.8 microns, 3.5 microns, and 0.52 microns, respectively. Hemastix was used to assess the hemoglobin content of each particle size fraction. The arithmetic mean exposure concentration for primary surgeons (n = 14) was 1.4 micrograms Hb/m3 (range, none detected to 7.4 micrograms Hb/m3), while that for assistant surgeons (n = 12) was 1.8 micrograms Hb/m3 (range, 0.3 to 4.8 micrograms Hb/m3). Hemoglobin was detected in Stage 2 in 26 (90%) of the samples, in Stage 5 in 19 (66%) of the samples, and in Stage 8 in 11 (38%) of the samples. These data show that the mucous membrane lining of the upper respiratory tract and alveolar macrophages in the gas-exchange region are likely to be exposed to aerosolized blood in the operating room. Until further research determines the potential of infected blood aerosols to transmit disease, the authors recommend the proper use of respiratory protection equipment instead of surgical masks because the latter do not offer adequate protection.

Aerosols↗

Tracheal extubation of children in the operating room after atrial septal defect repair as part of a clinical practice guideline.

Early tracheal extubation in the operating room after atrial septal defect (ASD) surgery was recommended as part of a clinical practice guideline (CPG) established in the Cardiovascular Program at the Children's Hospital, Boston, MA. This retrospective review was undertaken to determine whether this practice was efficient without compromising patient care. The charts and hospital charges for 102 patients undergoing secundum ASD or sinus venosus defect surgery between March 1992 and July 1994 were reviewed; 36 patients (Group I) had surgery prior to introduction of the CPG, and 66 patients were managed according to the CPG. Of the latter, 25 patients (Group II) were tracheally extubated in the operating room (OR) and 41 patients (Group III) were extubated in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Patients in all three groups were similar with respect to height, weight, and surgical conditions including cardiopulmonary bypass time, lowest esophageal temperature, hematocrit, total OR time, and the time from completion of bypass to leaving the OR. Patients in Group II received significantly less fentanyl during anesthesia, were more likely to have a respiratory acidosis on admission to the CICU, and had an increased frequency of vomiting in the CICU. There was no difference in duration of CICU stay among groups. The length of hospital stay was reduced in Groups II and III after introduction of the CPGs, but was not influenced by tracheal extubation in the OR. There was no difference among groups in the hospital charges for OR, anesthesia and CICU time. However, when the combined hospital charges for services provided both in the OR and CICU were included, patients in Group II were charged significantly less, and this primarily reflects the absence of postoperative mechanical ventilation charges. Tracheal extubation in the OR after ASD surgery in children can result in lower patient charges without significantly compromising patient care.

Acidosis, Respiratory↗

The drive for operating room efficiency will increase quality of patient care.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The public is demanding that medicine both increase its efficiency and lower its costs. 'Watchdog' groups are scrutinizing our performance, publicizing our results, and forcing us to compete. They want doctors first to use evidence-based medicine to identify truly beneficial healthcare interventions and then to use continuous quality improvement to perform those beneficial interventions consistently at lower costs. RECENT FINDINGS: A renaissance is underway in our thinking about quality and efficiency in the operating room. 'Work process redesign' and 'the systems approach' are starting to be more than slogans, as researchers redesign the physical environment of the operating room, along with its 'workflow' and methods of communication. SUMMARY: Soon physicians and hospitals will be receiving 'pay-for-performance', whereby our income will depend on our ability to demonstrate both good patient care processes and good outcomes. Medicine is starting to act like a competitive industry, and this tendency will be good for quality and efficiency in the operating room. Community and academic practitioners need to understand and participate in this transformation in order to be able to influence its evolution and to survive financially.

Appointments and Schedules↗

Influence of provider volume on length of stay, operating room time, and discharge status for rotator cuff repair.

Length of hospital stay, operating room time, and disposition of patient on discharge are important determinants of health care resource utilization. We examined the relationship between these determinants and hospital/surgeon volume for rotator cuff repair. A total of 9,973 patients undergoing rotator cuff repair were extracted from the New York State Ambulatory Surgery Databases for the years 1997 through 2000. Surgeon volume and hospital volume were divided into low-, intermediate-, and high-volume categories. Multivariate regression models were used to estimate the risk-adjusted association between provider volume and outcomes. Patients operated on by low-volume surgeons had significantly higher likelihood for an extended length of stay when compared with those operated on by high-volume surgeons (adjusted odds ratio for extended length of stay, 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-4.4). There was a linear trend for a higher proportion of routine patient discharge with increasing surgeon volume. The mean operating room times for low- and intermediate-volume surgeons were significantly higher than that for high-volume surgeons (P < .001). We conclude that high-volume providers use health care resources more efficiently.

Adult↗

[Education in postgraduate surgical schools: the role of the surgical tutor as supervisor in the operating room].

The Postgraduate Surgical education is in an era of transition, in order to create physicians with skills and attitudes needed by modern health care. Many studies have examined the impact of surgical tutoring in surgical residency programs in USA Medical Schools, while few experiences are reported from European Universities. The new Italian guidelines for post-graduate education require a structured clinical learning with the supervision of a tutor ("attending surgeon" for surgical residency); it is a challenge to describe the role of this teacher and educator, and to implement an effective evaluation of operating room teachers. Confidential survey was administered to 14 surgical residents of the Authors' University. Questions were related to their surgical activity and their perception of educational role of tutors in operating room and tutors' teaching behaviors. Residents pointed out five behaviors they perceive as signs of tutor excellence in clinical and operating room setting. According with studies from other Universities, residents need a tutor with competency but also with good teaching skills and a mature self-perception as educator. Faculty would provide training programs for surgeons in order to improve their teaching skills and behaviors.

Faculty, Medical↗