Anesthesia for TORS for Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: Factors Associated with Prolonged Phase I Postanesthesia Recovery

Objectives Clinical variables affecting anesthetic recovery following transoral robotic surgery (TORS) to resect oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma have not been described. We aimed to explore risk factors associated with prolonged postanesthesia recovery following TORS. Study Design Retrospective case-control study. Setting Tertiary referral center, January 2010 to November 2016. Subjects and Methods Patients included adults undergoing primary TORS ± neck dissection for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Patients were categorized by phase I recovery time into the “goal” recovery group (75th percentile [lower 3 quartiles], n = 272) and the “prolonged” recovery group (n = 91). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between clinical characteristics and prolonged phase I recovery. Results A total of 363 patients were included. Median (interquartile range) duration of postanesthesia recovery was 1.5 hours (1.0-2.0). Prolonged recovery was associated with isoflurane (odds ratio, 2.83 [95% CI, 1.56-5.14], P < .001), midazolam (2.77 [1.50-5.12], P = .001), and larger opioid doses (1.26 [1.01-1.58] per 10-mg intravenous morphine equivalents, P = .040) and inversely associated with multimodal antiemetic therapy (0.34 [0.15-0.78], P = .011). Prolonged cases had higher rates of postoperative nausea and vomiting (n = 43 [47.2%] vs 86 [31.6%], P = .008), respiratory depression (28 [30.8%] vs 12 [4.4%], P < .001), sedation (Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale < –2; 26 [28.6%] vs 35 [12.9%], P = .001), severe pain (numeric rating score ≥7; 31 [34.4%] vs 45 [17.2%], P = .001), and longer hospital stays (4 vs 3 days, P < .001). Conclusions Several anesthetic factors are associated with anesthesia recovery duration, which may be shortened by efforts to reduce postoperative sedation, severe pain, and nausea/vomiting. Shortened anesthesia recovery time may reduce hospital stay.

Perioperative Management of a Patient Taking Suboxone® at the Time of Ambulatory Surgery

In 2016, more than 11 million people reported misuse of opioids in the previous year. In an effort to combat opioid use disorder (OUD), the use of agonist/antagonist is becoming increasingly common, with more than 2.2 million patients reporting use of a buprenorphine containing medication such as Suboxone®. Buprenorphine is a unique opioid which acts as a partial μ agonist and ĸ antagonist. These properties make it an effective tool in treating OUD and abuse. However, despite its advantages in treating OUD and abuse, buprenorphine can make it difficult to control acute perioperative pain. We present a case in which the Mayo Clinic Arizona protocol for patients undergoing minimally invasive ambulatory surgery while taking Suboxone® is successfully executed, resulting in adequate postoperative pain control and timely discharge from the postanesthesia recovery unit.

Preoperative Patient Evaluation for Anesthesia Care Outside of the Operating Room

Preoperative evaluation and optimization of medical status of patients are important components of anesthesia practice. Increasing numbers of patients with serious comorbidities undergo procedures that require anesthesia services outside of the operating room (OOOR). Often the location alters the challenges of caring for these patients. Surgical, anesthesia, or nursing personnel who can assist with airway and resuscitation management may not be available; equipment and medications may be limited. Many OOOR locations will not have the usual support of an intensive care unit (ICU), skilled postanesthesia recovery personnel, respiratory therapy, or ready access to an inpatient bed, blood banking, interventional cardiology, or diagnostic services. Many of the patients are elderly, ill, and even unlikely candidates for conventional surgery (e.g., transmucosal resection of gastric tumors, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts). Yet patients and/or providers may be reluctant to expend time and energy in extensive preoperative evaluation before a seemingly minor procedure. This chapter will outline the basics of preprocedure preparation of patients scheduled to receive anesthesia in OOOR settings.

Anesthesia for Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures

The administration of anesthesia or sedation for endoscopy is associated with unique challenges that often differ from those encountered when providing anesthesia care in the operating room (OR). This chapter discusses the location where procedures are performed, inconsistencies in preoperative preparation, postanesthesia recovery issues, and the management of complications, which are all areas requiring distinctive management strategies in the OOOR environment.