BACKGROUND: Guideline adherence in the medical field leaves room for improvement. Digitalised decision support helps improve compliance. However, the complex nature of the guidelines makes implementation in clinical practice difficult.
METHODS: This single-centre prospective study included 204 adult ASA physical status 3-4 patients undergoing elective noncardiac surgery at a German university hospital. Agreement of clearance for surgery between a guideline expert and a digital guideline support tool was investigated. The decision made by the on-duty anaesthetists (standard approach) was assessed for agreement with the expert in a cross-over design. The main outcome was the level of agreement between digital guideline support and the expert.
RESULTS: The digital guideline support approach cleared 18.1% of the patients for surgery, the standard approach cleared 74.0%, and the expert approach cleared 47.5%. Agreement of the expert decision with digital guideline support (66.7%) and the standard approach (67.6%) was fair (Cohen\'s kappa 0.37 [interquartile range 0.26-0.48] vs 0.31 [0.21-0.42], P=0.6). Taking the expert decision as a benchmark, correct clearance using digital guideline support was 50.5%, and correct clearance using the standard approach was 44.6%. Digital guideline support incorrectly asked for additional examinations in 31.4% of the patients, whereas the standard approach did not consider conditions that would have justified additional examinations before surgery in 29.4%.
CONCLUSIONS: Strict guideline adherence for clearance for surgery through digitalised decision support inadequately considered patients, clinical context. Vague formulations, weak recommendations, and low-quality evidence complicate guideline translation into explicit rules.
BACKGROUND: NCT04058769.

This updated British Society for Haematology guideline provides an up-to-date literature review and recommendations regarding the identification and management of preoperative anaemia. This includes guidance on thresholds for the diagnosis of anaemia and the diagnosis and management of iron deficiency in the preoperative context. Guidance on the appropriate use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and preoperative transfusion is also provided.

Preoperative biopsy for retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) enables appropriate multidisciplinary treatment planning. A systematic review of literature from 1990 to June 2022 was conducted using the population, intervention, comparison and outcome model to evaluate the local recurrence and overall survival of preoperative biopsy compared to those that had not. Of 3192 studies screened, five retrospective cohort studies were identified. Three reported on biopsy needle tract seeding, with only one study reporting biopsy site recurrence of 2 %. Two found no significant difference in local recurrence and one found higher 5-year local recurrence rates in those who had not been biopsied. Three studies reported overall survival, including one with propensity matching, did not show a difference in overall survival. In conclusion, preoperative core needle biopsy of RPS is not associated with increased local recurrence or adverse survival outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Low- and middle-income countries have a critical shortage of specialist anaesthetists. Most patients arriving for surgery are of low perioperative risk. Without immediate access to preoperative specialist care, an appropriate interim strategy may be to ensure that only high-risk patients are seen preoperatively by a specialist. Matching human resources to the burden of disease with a nurse-administered pre-operative screening tool to identify high-risk patients who might benefit from specialist review prior to the day of surgery may be an effective strategy.
OBJECTIVE: To develop a nurse-administered preoperative anaesthesia screening tool to identify patients who would most likely benefit from a specialist review before the day of surgery, and those patients who could safely be seen by the anaesthetist on the day of surgery. This would ensure adequate time for optimisation of high-risk patients preoperatively and limit avoidable day-of-surgery cancellations.
METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify preoperative screening questions for use in a three-round Delphi consensus process. A panel of 16 experienced full-time clinical anaesthetists representing all university-affiliated anaesthesia departments in South Africa participated to define a nurses\' screening tool for preoperative assessment.
RESULTS: Ninety-eight studies were identified, which generated 79 questions. An additional 14 items identified by the facilitators were added to create a list of 93 questions for the first round. The final screening tool consisted of 81 questions, of which 37 were deemed critical to identify patients who should be seen by a specialist prior to the day of surgery.
CONCLUSIONS: A structured nurse-administered preoperative screening tool is proposed to identify high-risk patients who are likely to benefit from a timely preoperative specialist anaesthetist review to avoid cancellation on the day of surgery.

Major surgery poses a significant stress to the patient. The nutritional status is one of crucial factors that have a substantial impact on the final outcome of the surgery. Preoperatively established malnutrition or an increased nutritional risk in this group of patients requires a maximum effort to minimize this negative impact as soon as the operation is scheduled. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess compliance with guidelines focused on preoperative nutrition management at our site.
Our retrospective descriptive observation was focused on the period from January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020. All patients scheduled for major surgery were screened for nutritional status using a nutritional questionnaire, and an appropriate type of nutritional intervention was indicated based on the achieved score.
Two hundred and forty gastrointestinal operations were performed during the study period. In total, 208 (87%) of patients were screened at the time of counselling. Diet adjustments with an increased protein intake were recommended to all 125 (100%) patients with normal nutrition status. In total, 95 patients were at nutritional risk and sipping was prescribed to all of them (100%) in the outpatient setting. All 20 malnourished patients (100%) underwent preoperative nutritional optimization as inpatients.
Nutritional status of patients before major surgery is considered a predictive indicator of potential postoperative complications. Compliance with recent ERAS guidelines concerning preoperative screening and nutritional support is high in our department.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most frequent and severe adverse event after surgery. Among preventive measures, the preoperative skin preparation (PSP) is known to be heterogeneously implemented in routine practice. A prerequisite would be the actual incorporation of guidelines in French surgical local protocols.
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether PSP recommendations have been incorporated in local protocols and to identify the reasons for the non-incorporation.
METHODS: An online survey was proposed to all infection control teams (ICTs) in facilities participating in the French national surveillance and prevention of SSI network Spicmi. The reference recommendations were based on the French Society for Hospital Hygiene guidelines.
RESULTS: In all, 485 healthcare facilities completed the questionnaire. The incorporation of recommendations in the facility protocol varied between 30% and 98% according to the recommendation. The measures most frequently incorporated were antisepsis with an alcoholic product and cessation of systematic hair removal. The least frequently incorporated were the use of plain soap for preoperative shower and the non-compulsory skin cleaning in the operating room. Barriers reported were either specific to PSP (e.g. \'Concern about an increase of SSI\', \'Scepticism about recommendations\', \'Force of habit\') or non-specific (e.g. \'The protocol not yet due to be updated\').
CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that although some major prevention measures have been incorporated in the local protocol of most facilities, local protocols still frequently include some non-evidence based former recommendations. Communication about evolution of SSI rates, diffusion of guidelines by learned societies, and exchange with judiciary experts could make clear the conditions for applying recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate preoperative management of patients with chronic moderate to severe shoulder pain who are candidates for surgery owing to rotator cuff disease or glenohumeral osteoarthritis may improve surgery and patient outcomes, but published evidence in this regard is scarce. Therefore, the availability of recommendations on preoperative interventions based on expert consensus may serve as guidance.
METHODS: A Delphi study was conducted to develop a preoperative management algorithm based on a national expert consensus. A Delphi questionnaire was developed by a scientific committee following a systematic review of the relevant literature published during the past 10 years using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) criteria. It consisted of 48 statements divided into 5 blocks (block I, assessment and diagnosis of preoperative pain; block II, preoperative function and psychosocial aspects; block III, therapeutic objectives; block IV, treatment; and block V, follow-up and referral), and 28 experienced shoulder surgeons from across the country were invited to answer.
RESULTS: All participants responded to the Delphi questionnaire in the first round, and 25 responded in the second round (89.3% of those invited). Overall, 46 of 49 final statements reached a consensus, on the basis of which a final preoperative management algorithm was defined by the scientific committee. First, surgeons should assess shoulder pain intensity and characteristics, shoulder functionality, and psychosocial aspects using specific validated questionnaires. Preoperative therapeutic objectives should include shoulder pain control, depression and/or nocturnal sleep improvement, opioid consumption adjustment, and substance abuse cessation. Postoperative objectives regarding the degree of shoulder pain reduction or improvement in functionality and/or quality of life should be established in agreement with the patient. Treatment of preoperative chronic moderate to severe shoulder pain should comprise nonpharmacologic as well as pharmacologic interventions. Follow-up of the shoulder pain levels, treatment adherence, and mental health status of these patients may be carried out by the surgical team (surgeon and anesthesiologist) together with the primary care team. Patients with very intense shoulder pain levels may be referred to a pain unit following specific protocols.
CONCLUSIONS: A preoperative management algorithm for patients with chronic moderate to severe shoulder pain who are candidates for surgery owing to rotator cuff disease or glenohumeral osteoarthritis was defined based on a national expert consensus. Main points include comprehensive patient management starting with an objective assessment of shoulder pain and function, as well as quality of life; establishment of preoperative and postoperative therapeutic targets; prescription of individualized therapeutic interventions; and multidisciplinary patient follow-up. Implementation of these recommendations into clinical practice may result in better preoperative shoulder pain management and more successful surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE:  To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention among gynecologists about recommendations of the Total Acceleration of Postoperative Recovery (ACERTO, in the Portuguese acronym) project derived from the solid foundations of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines to optimize hospital care for surgical-gynecological patients.
METHODS:  Educational intervention through monthly 1-hour long meetings (3 months), with the application of an objective questionnaire about specific knowledge of the ACERTO project between before and after educational intervention phases, for gynecologists, after approval by the ethics committee and signature of informed consent by participants, in a federal university hospital.
RESULTS:  Among the 25 gynecologists who agreed to participate, the educational intervention could be effective with a statistically significant difference between the phases before and after the intervention for the main recommendations of the ACERTO project, such as abbreviation of preoperative fasting (p = 0.006), venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (p = 0.024), knowledge and replication of ACERTO (p = 0.034), and multimodal analgesia (p = 0.021).
CONCLUSIONS:  An educational intervention, through clinical meetings with exposition and discussion of the recommendations of the ACERTO project based on the ERAS protocol can be effective for the knowledge and possibility of practical application of the main measures, such as abbreviation of preoperative fasting, multimodal analgesia, and prophylaxis of thrombosis among gynecologists.
OBJECTIVE:  Avaliar a efetividade de uma intervenção educativa entre ginecologistas de um hospital universitário a fim de capacitar o conhecimento científico das recomendações do projeto Aceleração da Recuperação Total Pós-operatória ACERTO, derivado das bases sólidas do protocolo Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) para otimizar a assistência hospitalar de pacientes cirúrgico-ginecológicas. MéTODOS:  Intervenção educativa por meio de reuniões mensais por 3 meses, com duração de 1 hora, com aplicação de questionário objetivo com questões de conhecimentos específicos do projeto ACERTO com fases antes e depois da intervenção, para profissionais ginecologistas, após aprovação do comitê de ética em pesquisas (CEP) e assinatura do termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido (TCLE) pelos participantes.
RESULTS:  Dentre os 25 ginecologistas que aceitaram participar, a intervenção educativa se mostrou eficaz com diferença estatisticamente significante entre as fases antes e depois da intervenção para as principais recomendações do projeto ACERTO, como abreviação de jejum pré-operatório (p = 0.006), profilaxia de tromboembolismo venoso (p = 0.024), conhecimento e replicação do conhecimento do ACERTO (p = 0.006) e analgesia multimodal (p = 0.006). CONCLUSãO:  Uma intervenção educativa, por meio de reuniões clínicas com exposição e discussão das recomendações do projeto ACERTO baseadas em evidências e derivadas do ERAS é eficaz para o conhecimento e possibilidade de aplicação prática de medidas como abreviação de jejum pré-operatório, analgesia multimodal e profilaxia de trombose entre ginecologistas.

The development of ambulatory surgery has posed a challenge to the anesthesia management. In order to standardize the management of ambulatory surgery anesthesia, the Chinese Society of Anesthesiology established an expert group of guidelines for ambulatory surgery anesthesia. By combining the international guidelines and the development status of ambulatory surgery anesthesia at home and abroad, this evidence-based guideline for ambulatory surgery anesthesia was formulated. The guideline includes nine parts: definition of ambulatory surgery, ambulatory surgery system, selection criteria for ambulatory surgery patients, preoperative pre-rehabilitation, pre-anesthesia assessment, pre-anesthesia preparation, intraoperative anesthesia monitoring, anesthesia methods, and post-anesthesia management for ambulatory surgery. A total of 26 recommendations were formed. The guideline aims to better guide the clinical practice of ambulatory surgery anesthesia and standardize the perioperative management of ambulatory surgery.
日间手术的发展对麻醉管理提出了挑战，为了规范日间手术麻醉管理，中华医学会麻醉学分会成立日间手术麻醉指南专家组，结合日间手术麻醉国际指南和国内外日间手术麻醉发展现状，依据循证医学证据方法，制订了《日间手术麻醉指南》。本指南涵盖了日间手术定义、日间手术体系、日间手术患者选择标准、术前预康复、麻醉前评估、麻醉前准备、麻醉中监测、麻醉方式、日间手术麻醉后管理等9个部分内容，共26条推荐意见，旨在更好地指导日间手术麻醉临床实践，规范日间手术围手术期管理。.

Neuropsychological assessment is a mandatory part of the pre- and post-operative evaluation in pediatric epilepsy surgery. The neuropsychology task force of the ILAE - French Chapter aims to define a neuropsychological procedure consensus based on literature review and adapted for French practice. They performed a systematic review of the literature published between 1950 and 2023 on cognitive evaluation of individuals undergoing presurgical work-up and post-surgery follow-up and focused on the pediatric population aged 6-16. They classified publications listed in the PubMed database according to their level of scientific evidence. The systematic literature review revealed no study with high statistical power and only four studies using neuropsychological scales in their French version. Afterwards, the experts defined a neuropsychological consensus strategy in pediatric epilepsy surgery according to the psychometric determinants of cognitive tests, specificity of epilepsy, surgery context, French culture and literature reports. A common French neuropsychological procedure dedicated to pediatric epilepsy surgery is now available. This procedure could serve as a guide for the pre- and post-surgical work-up in French centers with pediatric epilepsy surgery programs. The main goal is to anticipate the functional risks of surgery, to support the postoperative outcome beyond the seizure-related one, while taking into consideration the plasticity and vulnerability of the immature brain and allowing the possibility of collaborative studies.