Background. The prevalence of hypertension in adults in South Africa (SA) is 35%. Hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in subSaharan Africa. However, 49% of people are unaware of their blood pressure status. Screening for hypertension prior to surgery provides a unique opportunity to diagnose and treat affected individuals. Furthermore, assessing overall CV risk identifies patients at highest risk for complications, and improves the utilisation of scarce resources. Objective. To evaluate the CV risk profile of hypertensive patients in the adult population of the Western Cape Province presenting for elective non-cardiac, non-obstetric surgery. Methods. This report documents the CV risk profile of patients recruited to the HASS-2 study (Hypertension and Surgery Study 2), which was undertaken in seven Western Cape hospitals. Patients were screened for hypertension and pharmacological treatment was initiated or adjusted in patients with stages 1 and 2 disease. Stage 3 patients were referred to a physician. In the present substudy, patients with stages 1 and 2 hypertension were assessed for associated CV risk factors, the presence of target organ damage, and documented CV or kidney disease; they received an overall risk stratification according to the 2018 European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Hypertension Guidelines. Results. Sixty-one patients with stage 1 and 12 with stage 2 hypertension were analysed. Established CV disease was present in 13.7% of the study population, and CKD (eGFR <60 ml/min) in 10.8%. Seventy-one percent of the study group had a raised body mass index, and 55.9% underlying metabolic syndrome. Prediabetes and diabetes were present in 16.1% and 14.5% respectively. According to the 2018 European guidelines, 34.7% were at moderate, 33.3% at high and 16.7% at very high risk for a CV event in the following 10 years. Conclusions. The perioperative period is a critical time during which surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists can influence patients' CV risk of adverse events. This involves appropriate screening, education and treatment. In this study population, nearly 9 out of 10 elective surgical patients with stage 1 or 2 hypertension had CV risk factors placing them at moderate to very high risk. The simultaneous assessment of these additional CV risk parameters, in addition to diagnosis and management of hypertension, may further decrease the health and financial burden in resource-limited facilities in SA, and improve CV outcomes.

Background. Fasting for liquids and solids is recommended prior to procedures requiring anaesthesia, to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration. Children often experience excessive fasting, which is associated with negative physiological and behavioural consequences, and patient discomfort. The duration of preoperative fasting in children in South Africa is unknown. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the compliance with fasting guidelines and fasting times of children prior to elective procedures performed under anaesthesia at a paediatric hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The primary focus was fasting for clear liquid. The study also intended to identify the most common reasons for prolonged clear liquid fasting. Methods. Over a seven-week period, we prospectively captured fasting times of consecutive patients undergoing elective surgical, medical and radiological procedures at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH). Measurement outcomes were defined as the period from the last clear liquid, milk or solid feed to the start of anaesthesia. For analysis of compliance with preoperative fasting guidelines, institutional preoperative fasting target limits were established based on the standard 6-4-2 hour guideline. Results. The study included 721 elective paediatric cases. The mean (SD) fasting time for clear liquids (n=585) was 8.0 (4.8) hours, with an adherence rate of 25.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 22-29%) to the institutional target of 2 to 4 hours. The mean (SD) fasting times for breast milk (n=92), formula milk (n=116) and solid feeds (n=560) were 7.1 (2.8), 8.8 (2.8) and 13.9 (3.6) hours respectively. The factors associated with clear liquid fasting >4 hours were: inadequate fasting instructions, poor adherence to fasting orders, procedural delays and fasting to promote theatre flexibility. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that children in a South Africa hospital experience excessive fasting times prior to elective procedures. To reduce fasting durations and improve the quality of perioperative care, quality improvement (QI) interventions are required to create an adaptable fasting system which allows individualised fasting. Improving preoperative fasting times in children is the responsibility of all health care professionals in the multi-disciplinary management team.

Background: Conservative prolonged observation periods after elective craniotomies with admission to neurosurgical higher or intensive care units (ICU) have been the norm for many decades. This practice is neither evidence based nor a cost-effective use of medical resources. This observational audit aimed to establish the incidence and timing of serious complications after elective craniotomies in a low-middle income country context. Methods: The medical records of adult patients who had elective craniotomies for the 2-year period of March 2016-February 2018 at Groote Schuur Hospital were reviewed. Complication incidence and timing was analysed in all patients admitted to either the neurosurgical high care unit (HCU) or ICU post-operatively for the initial 24hr period. The specific complications in our audit was defined as: a decrease in Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) of more than 2 points from the preoperative baseline score, new onset or worsening motor deficit, seizures, diabetes insipidus, haemodynamic instability, severe hypertension, tracheal intubation or noninvasive ventilatory support, and death. Statistical analysis was primarily descriptive. Results: A total of 189 elective craniotomy patients were included in our audit for the 2-year period mentioned. In this study 37/189 (19.6%) patients developed 1 or more major complications during the initial 24 hr post-operative period. Of these 37 patients, 31 (83.8% [95% CI 71.9-95.7]) patients developed their first onset complication within six hours of admission to the HCU or ICU, and the remaining 6 (16.2% [95% CI 4.3-28.1]) in the subsequent 18 hours. All patients who developed life threatening complications (airway, ventilation or haemodynamic support) had their first onset complication (“red flag”) within six hrs of admission. Conclusion: Our audit suggests that consideration should be given to discharge patients to a general neurosurgical ward after an uncomplicated six hour postoperative ICU stay. While a significant amount of first onset complications may occur if a patient is discharged to the neurosurgical ward after this time period, these complications were unlikely to be immediately life threatening and should not require more than standard neurosurgical ward observations to detect.

Background The ease of administration and relative safety of spinal anaesthesia has made this the preferred technique for elective and many emergency caesarean sections. Complications include incomplete sensory block, resulting in intraoperative breakthrough pain, which is commonly associated with a successful medicolegal claim. If documentation of spinal anaesthesia technique was found to be inadequate in the course of such medicolegal proceedings, it is likely that the decision would be against the anaesthetist. The purpose of this study was to evaluate documentation by anaesthetists relating to the establishment of surgical anaesthesia utilizing subarachnoid block. Methods A retrospective folder analysis was conducted at Mowbray Maternity Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. One hundred consecutive spinal anaesthesia charts, each completed by a different anaesthetist, either a registrar or specialist, were analysed, starting December 31st, 2018, and proceeding retrospectively in time until the sample size was achieved. Results Of the 100 cases of spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section analysed, 68 were emergency and 32 elective operations. After literature review, 12 variables were identified requiring documentation, so that adequate information would be available in the event of medicolegal action. In 23% and 32% of patients respectively, 7 or 8/12 were recorded. Ninety percent of anaesthesia charts had inadequate documentation, defined as information on fewer than 10 of the specified variables. Conclusion The quality of documentation of procedure and block level during spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section was inadequate. National guidelines should be drafted and standardised to improve the quality of these records, both for quality of care and medicolegal purposes.

Background: Oxytocin causes clinically significant hypotension and tachycardia. This study examined whether the prior administration of phenylephrine obtunds these unwanted haemodynamic effects. Methods: Forty pregnant women undergoing elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia were randomised to receive either a 50 μg bolus of phenylephrine (Group P) or saline (Group S) immediately prior to oxytocin (3 IU over 15 seconds). Systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], mean arterial pressure [MAP] and heart rate [HR]) were recorded using a continuous non-invasive arterial pressure device. Baseline values were averaged for 20 seconds post-delivery. Between-group comparisons were made of the mean peak changes in BP and HR, and the mean percentage changes from baseline, during the 150 seconds after oxytocin administration. Results: The mean peak percentage change (SD) in SBP was -16.9% (2%) in Group P, and -19.0% (1.9%) in Group S and the estimated mean difference was 2.1% (95% CI: -3.5 to 7.8 %) and P =0.44; corresponding changes in HR were 13.5% (2.3%) and 14.0% (1.5%) and the mean estimated difference was 0.5% (95% CI -6.0 to 5%) and P=0.87. The mean percentage change from the baseline measurements during the 150 s period of measurement was greater for Group S than Group P: SBP -5.9% vs -3.4%; P =0.149; DBP -7.2% vs -1.5%, P =0.014; MAP -6.8% vs -1.5%, P =0.007; HR 2.1% vs -2.4%, P =0.033. Conclusion: Intravenous phenylephrine 50 μg immediately before 3 U oxytocin during elective caesarean section does not prevent maternal hypotension and tachycardia.

No description available.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Anaesthesiology Johannesburg, 2017 / Postgraduate education for anaesthesiologists is a complex multifaceted process that balances statutory education requirements, service delivery and the personal circumstances of the registrar. The aim of this study was to describe how anaesthesiology registrars in the Department of Anaesthesiology at Wits experience their training. The experiences of anaesthesiology registrars at a South African University were explored in this descriptive, exploratory and qualitative study through a series of naïve sketches. A naïve sketch was selected as an instrument to elicit the participants' narratives and purposive sampling was employed to select the 41 registrars; in various stages of their training; from whom data were collected. Thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke's six phases was used to analyse the data. Trustworthiness was established using Lincoln and Guba's framework. The participants had a roller coaster experience of learning, where good and bad experiences played a role in becoming a specialist. The struggle for academic achievement was characterised by the lack of protected teaching time and the high clinical workload. In addition, the participants found it challenging balancing their academic and personal lives. Despite the challenges, the registrar journey played a key role in shaping them into specialists. Each of the participants' experienced a challenging but fulfilling journey that equipped them with the skills and confidence to become accomplished specialists. This study demonstrated that there are a number of stressors that affected the participants' journeys. Training could therefore be tailored with this in mind and all aspects of the programme should aim to reduce these stressors as much as possible. / MT2017

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)infection is associated with haematological changes, including thrombocytopaenia. Pregnancy induces a hypercoagulable state. There are limited data on the coagulation status of women with term pregnancy and HIV receiving anti-retroviral medication. Regional anaesthesia is the technique of choice for caesarean section, and is contraindicated in a hypo-coagulable state. We therefore investigated the coagulation status of term pregnant women with HIV, presenting for elective caesarean section(CS). This was a single-centre cross-sectional observational study, using thromboelastography, comparing the coagulation status of HIV negative and -positive women with no other comorbidities, in pregnancy at term. A blood sample was taken immediately prior to spinal anaesthesia, and thromboelastography was performed within 4 minutes. In addition, platelet count, haemoglobin, and fibrinogen level were measured. Blood samples were obtained from 75 patients. There were no between-group differences in obstetric and demographic data, and no difference in platelet count. The mean (SD) fibrinogen level was higher in HIV positive women (3.9 [1.5] vs 3.5 [0.7] g/L) respectively, p=0.04. There were no significant differences in the r-time, alpha-angle, k-time, MA, or LY-30. The results of this thromboelastography study show that in asymptomatic HIV positive pregnant patients on anti-retroviral treatment, there are no significant differences in coagulation parameters when compared with HIV negative patients. This suggests that routine assessment of coagulation is unnecessary before spinal anaesthesia in patients without other co-morbidities. Further studies could demonstrate the incidence of abnormalities in coagulation or platelet function in patients with AIDS defining disease or HIV positive patients with other co-morbidities.

Background: This tertiary referral centre is one the largest paediatric hospitals in Africa. Despite an increasing number of surgical and diagnostic procedures being performed annually, a formal out-of-theatre sedation service does not exist. Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is an important adjunct in behavioural management for invasive procedures in children. Objective: A prospective, observational study was performed at RCWMCH, aimed primarily at defining the number of cases of PSA performed outside the operating theatre. Methods: Data was collected from all procedural out-of-theatre sedations performed over a period of three months, including ward patients and out-patient departments. All children < 13 years of age were included. Results: A total of 639 sedations were performed. Of these sedations, 288 (45.0%) paper responses were captured and analysed. The reported incidence of desaturation was 4.2% (12/288), laryngospasm 0.3% (1/288) and nausea and vomiting 2.4% (6/288). Three cases required conversion to general anaesthetic, and three cases were abandoned due to inadequate sedation. In 16.3% (47/288) of cases the clinician was an operator sedationist (the same person performing the sedation and the procedure). In 90.6% of cases the intravenous route was utilized, with dexmedetomidine, ketamine and propofol being the three most commonly used agents. Conclusion: 639 PSA events were recorded in 3 months. The 288 events analysed were safely performed with minimal serious reported events. These results compare favourably with international studies and provide quantitative evidence as a prelude to setting up a dedicated sedation service at our facility.

Background: Airway management is an essential skill for healthcare providers across many disciplines. Inadequate airway management leads to adverse events and deaths. Clear guidance on the use of evidence-based educational methods to train novice airway managers is limited. Best evidence suggests using a “deliberate practice for mastery learning” approach to produce expertise in complex skills. Objectives: Our primary outcome is a narrative synthesis of the evidence evaluating instructional design elements employed to train novices in airway management. Our secondary outcome is a description of how these techniques employ deliberate practice principles. These data will inform recommendations for future airway training. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of English language studies published by June 2019. Studies evaluating educational interventions to improve airway management by novices were included. Studies were excluded if they only reported learner reactions to training (Kirkpatrick Level 1 outcomes). Data extraction was performed in duplicate using a standardised form and critical appraisal of the included studies was performed using a tool developed by Hawker, et al. Due to the heterogeneity of the data and in order to best highlight important themes, we performed a narrative synthesis of included studies. Further, we explicitly reviewed the studies using a deliberate practice lens to extract features consistent with this framework. Results: Our search yielded 506 studies of which 42 were eligible for inclusion. Most studies were rated poor quality and used small convenience samples. Studies included participants from a range of disciplines who were trained using multiple different interventions on part-task trainers, manikins and real patients. Most studies (60%) used overall intubation success rate as the primary outcome measure with only 21% of studies reporting first-pass success rate. Only 10% of studies explicitly mentioned deliberate practice. Important emerging themes include using checklists as scaffolding for progression, using video laryngoscopy to augment teaching, and using different manikins to mimic variations in human anatomy. Conclusions: Reported studies evaluating airway training are of poor quality. However, available evidence offers usable instructional design elements associated with durable learning and improved expertise. We have made suggestions for incorporating deliberate practice into future airway training. A commitment to evidence-based educational design could improve expertise in this critical skill. (Prospero registration: CRD42017077843)