Clinical trial NCT05046925: PACU for Postoperative Care After Major Thoracic and Abdominal Surgery
Official title: PACU or ICU for Postoperative Care After Major Thoracic and Abdominal Surgery：a Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Conditions: Anesthesia
Surgery--Complications
Keywords: Post-anesthetic care unit
Intensive care unit
Major surgery
postoperative complications
mortality
safety
efficacy
Postoperative care
Lead sponsor: First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-09-16
Enrollment: 18000
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: OTHER
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Adult patients undergoing major thoracic and abdominal surgery between September, 2021 and September, 2023 will be included in this study

Brief summary: The aim of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a specialised post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU) to a conventional intensive care unit (ICU) in adult patients after major thoracic and abdominal surgery. A better understanding of PACU for postoperative care is likely to reduce mortality and postoperative complications.

Detailed description: With the continuous progress of surgical techniques, the number of major thoracic and abdominal surgeries is also increasing. Although intensive monitoring and initiative treatment benefit patients undergoing major surgery, there is also an increasing demand for intensive care in hospitals, which can lead to capacity limitations in the intensive care unit (ICU). In addition, there is emerging opinion that many patients after major thoracic and abdominal surgery do not require ICU care postoperatively to be provided safe and appropriate care. For hospitals and their staff the challenge is to optimize clinical processes and to optimize the effectiveness of treatment in regard to patient's outcome. Studying patient postoperative care following major thoracic and abdominal surgery exposes many opportunities to the improvement of patient safety, tailor the intensive care resource allocation and consider the costs and benefits of the options.

Postoperative mortality and morbidity remain major challenges, and most of these complications develop during the early postoperative period when patients have left the recovery room. Thus improving the care that patients receive once complications have occurred is crucial for reducing mortality. The post-anesthetic care unit (PACU) provides general to intensive care to immediate postsurgical patients. Patients with major thoracic and abdominal surgery surgeries are often kept in PACU until their condition is stabilized before shifting them to their designated wards or ICU\[9\]. Ender et al. and Probs et al. showed that treatment in a specialized PACU rather than an ICU, after cardiac surgery leads to earlier extubation, decreased ICU length of stay (LOS) and quicker discharge of hospital without compromising patient safety. Kastrup et al. described, introduction of a PACU staffed with intensivist coverage around the clock might shorten the hospital LOS and more patients can be treated in the same time, due to a better use of resources. Some other study described the transferral to a PACU as an unfavourable option, since equipment, expertise and staffing levels in the PACU are different from the ICU.

The possible solution to this problem might be the inclusion of the PACU in the process of distribution of patients to the different levels of intensive care for ensuring the timely recognition and effective management of postoperative complications in patients after major thoracic and abdominal surgery. The most challenges are to identify those candidates who can be monitored PACU within 24 hours postoperatively, rather than in ICU, and implement change in care paradigms safely.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged 18 years and older
* Undergoing major thoracic and abdominal surgery
* Postoperative hospital stay expected to be at least one night
* Patients requiring less than 24 hour stay in PACU or ICU

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients aged less than 18 years
* Not receive major thoracic and abdominal surgery
* Stay in ICU is over 24 hours
* Hospital stay is less than 24 hours
* Patient not signing the informed consensus

Primary outcomes:
measure: mortality
timeFrame: up to 90 days
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Incidence of a composite of all-cause death, re-operation and major postoperative complications within 24 hours post surgery
timeFrame: within 24 hours postoperatively
measure: The time of length of stay (LOS)
timeFrame: within 24 hours postoperatively
measure: incidence of care escalation
timeFrame: within 24 hours postoperatively
measure: Incidence of major complications
timeFrame: 30 days postoperatively
measure: The time of hospital length of stay (LOS)
timeFrame: up to 30 days
measure: medical cost
timeFrame: up to 90 days]
measure: Incidence of emergency department (ED) visits
timeFrame: 90 days
measure: Ventilation time
timeFrame: up 30 days
measure: Anaesthetic resuscitation time
timeFrame: Up to 24 hours
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hangzhou
country: China
facility: First affilated hospital of zhejiang university
state: Zhejiang
Study officials:
affiliation: First Affilated Hospital of Zhejiang University
name: Xiangming Fang, Professor
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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citation: Loer SA. Anesthesiologists should bring in their expertise during the early postoperative period to improve surgical outcome. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2018 Dec;31(6):713-715. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000663. No abstract available.
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citation: Kellner DB, Urman RD, Greenberg P, Brovman EY. Analysis of adverse outcomes in the post-anesthesia care unit based on anesthesia liability data. J Clin Anesth. 2018 Nov;50:48-56. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2018.06.038. Epub 2018 Jun 29.
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citation: Ender J, Borger MA, Scholz M, Funkat AK, Anwar N, Sommer M, Mohr FW, Fassl J. Cardiac surgery fast-track treatment in a postanesthetic care unit: six-month results of the Leipzig fast-track concept. Anesthesiology. 2008 Jul;109(1):61-6. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31817881b3.
citation: Kastrup M, Seeling M, Barthel S, Bloch A, le Claire M, Spies C, Scheller M, Braun J. Effects of intensivist coverage in a post-anaesthesia care unit on surgical patients' case mix and characteristics of the intensive care unit. Crit Care. 2012 Jul 18;16(4):R126. doi: 10.1186/cc11428.
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