Frailty as a growing challenge for anesthesiologists – results of a Dutch national survey

Background Frailty is a multidimensional condition characterized by loss of functional reserve, which results in increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes following surgery. Anesthesiologists can reduce adverse outcomes when risk factors are recognized early and dedicated care pathways are operational. As the frail elderly population is growing, we investigated the perspective on the aging population, familiarity with the frailty syndrome and current organization of perioperative care for elderly patients among Dutch anesthesiologists. Methods A fifteen-item survey was distributed among anesthesiologists and residents during the annual meeting of the Dutch Society of Anesthesiology. The first section included questions on self-reported competence on identification of frailty, acquaintance with local protocols and attitude towards the increasing amounts of elderly patients presenting for surgery. The second part included questions on demographic features of the participant such as job position, experience and type of hospital. Answers are presented as percentages, using the total number of replies for the question per group as a denominator. Results A sample of 132 surveys was obtained. The increasing number of elderly patients was primarily perceived as challenging by 76% of respondents. Ninety-nine percent agreed that frailty should influence anesthetic management, while 85% of respondents claimed to feel competent to recognize frailty. Thirty-four percent of respondents reported the use of a dedicated pathway in the preoperative approach of frail elderly patients. However, only 30% of respondents reported to know where to find the frailty screening in the patient file and appointed that frailty is not consistently documented. Interestingly, only 43% of respondents reported adequate collaboration with geriatricians. This could include for example a standardized preoperative multidisciplinary approach or dedicated pathway for the elderly patient. Conclusions This survey demonstrated that the increasing number of frail elderly patients is perceived as important and relevant for anesthetic management. Opportunities lie in improving the organization and effectuation of perioperative care by more consistent involvement of anesthesiologists.

Extensive liver resection in a child with an extremely low future liver remnant volume

The incidence of posthepatectomy liver failure in adult patients and a large number of complications of two-stage liver resections require a search for criteria that allow highly accurate assessment of the risk of liver failure. For this purpose, the study of the future liver remnant volume and function have been widely introduced among adult patients, and the future liver remnant function measurement reflects the greater sensitivity. The absence of references to posthepatectomy liver failure, as well as the experience of determining the functional reserve of the future liver remnant in children, let us to suggest the possibility of a wider using one-stage liver resections when the future liver remnant volume is below the generally accepted threshold (25% of the healthy liver parenchyma volume) in the case of the functional reserve sufficient value. This clinical case describes the successful extended right hemihepatectomy and segmentectomy 1 in a 3-year patient with a future liver remnant volume of 16.5% without clinical signs of postresection hepatic failure, which confirms the thesis of the need to assess the functional liver reserve in pediatric oncology to reduce the frequency of two-stage resections and liver transplants. The patient’s parents gave consent to the use of their child’s data, including photographs, for research purposes and in publications.

Functional Reserve of the Kidney

The exploration of the normal limits of physiological responses and how these responses are lost when the kidney is injured are rarely used in clinical practice. However, the difference between "resting" and the "stressed" responses identify an adaptive reactiveness that is diminished before baseline function is impaired. This functional reserve is important in the evaluation of prognosis and progression of kidney disease. Here we discuss stress tests that examine protein-induced hyperfiltration, proximal tubular secretion, urea-selective concentration defects and acid retention. We discuss diseases in which these tests have been used to diagnose subclinical injury. The study and follow-up of abnormal functional reserve may add considerable understanding to the natural history of chronic kidney disease.