Background. The aims of this study were to determine the average length of stay in the Post-anesthesia CareUnit (PACU LOS) in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and to create a model that will predict the PACU LOSbased on the factors that significantly affect the LOS. Determination and prediction of PACU LOS is essential inresource utilization, and in cost containment and reduction. Addressing the modifiable variables that affect thePACU LOS may lead to an improvement in the LOS of patients in the PACU and, consequently, to better recoveryroom staffing and a reduced cost for the patients and the hospital.
Methods. A prospective chart review of 400 postoperative patients admitted in the PGH PACU was done. Summarystatistics were presented. Using the set of variables found to be significant, a regression model was formulatedto estimate the PACU LOS.
Results. The mean PACU LOS was 4.59 hours. There were significant differences in the mean PACU LOS basedon the occurrence of complications. There were also significant differences in the median PACU LOS based onthe type and duration of surgery, anesthetic technique, and duration of anesthesia. The multiple linear regressionmodel that best predicted PACU LOS included ASA-PS classification, type of surgery, duration of surgery, anesthetictechnique, and occurrence of intraoperative or postoperative complications.
Conclusions. The mean PACU LOS of the Philippine Genera Hospital is higher than that of published data. Thefactors included in the model that best predicts PACU LOS may be studied to improve the PACU LOS.
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) in pregnancy is a rare occurrence which poses a high risk for detrimental effects on bothmother and fetus. This paper reports a 21-year-old primigravid diagnosed with uncorrected TOF who had a successful caesarean section at 32 weeks of gestation. To address the hemodynamic challenges, the anaesthetic management involved the use of a minimally invasive hemodynamic monitor, controlled mechanical ventilation and a combined technique of intravenous anaesthesia using remifentanil and lumbar epidural anaesthesia using levobupivacaine.
An anticipated difficult airway requires careful planning and teamwork among the anesthesiologists and the surgical team. This paper reports the airway management of a 7-year-old female scheduled for LASER excision of a huge, obstructing laryngeal neoplasm. Initial attempts to secure the airway with the patient minimally sedated using a C-MAC Video Laryngoscope (C-MAC) and a traditional intubating stylet failed. Successful tracheal intubation was achieved when C-MAC was combined with a pediatric Bonfils Intubating Fiberscope (BIF) with the patient under general anesthesia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.