Anaesthesia

Nausea and vomiting are common complications after anaesthesia, and anaesthetists routinely give medications to prevent them. Dexamethasone and ondansetron are the two most commonly used agents and have a long safety record. However, their effects on sleep, behaviour, and overall recovery are not well studied. Understanding these will guide future care. The aim of this study is to determine if dexamethasone or ondansetron given during an anaesthetic affect post-operative sleep, behaviour and recovery in children. Patients enrolled in the study will be randomised to receive either dexamethasone or ondansetron during their procedure. This randomisation will be blinded to patients, their families and their treating anaesthetist. Information about the patient's pain, recovery and sleep will be collected over 7 days post-operatively using online surveys. A subset of patients will also be asked to complete additional pre-operative non-invasive monitoring using an oximeter and an actigraph to measure their sleep quality before and after surgery. In addition to the postoperative surveys, these patients will be asked to wear the oximeter and actigraph for 3 nights before and immediatey after surgery. Patients who are admitted overnight postoperatively will also have additional transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitoring on the night of their surgery.

Our specific aims are to investigate whether conservative (≤30%), intermediate (50%), or liberal (80%) inspired oxygen during and immediately after surgery: Aim 1: Reduces surgical site infections (SSIs or "wound infections") and other healthcare-associated infections (pneumonia and sepsis). Aim 2: Reduces a pooled composite of serious postoperative complications, leading to a faster and more complete recovery after surgery, and thus increases "days alive and at home up to 30 days after surgery" (DAH30). Primary hypothesis: Liberal (80%) oxygen concentration delivered with anesthesia in patients undergoing major surgery reduces the incidence of SSIs after surgery compared to conservative (≤30%) or intermediate (50%) oxygen concentration. Secondary hypothesis: Hyperoxia (50-80%) delivered with anesthesia in patients undergoing major surgery increases the incidence of pulmonary and other complications after surgery compared to conservative (≤30%) oxygen concentration, resulting in fewer Days At Home (DAH). PROMPT enrolls patients undergoing elective or semi-elective surgery.

Perioperative assessment of adequate depth of anesthesia and analgesia is currently a recommended part of routine anesthesia practice for all surgical procedures. In most cases, it is performed by monitoring and evaluating physiological parameters, which is insufficient, especially for the depth of anesthesia. The depth of anesthesia, when measured with the Conox device, is indicated by the qCON index, the recommended value for anesthesia management is between 40-60. Shallow (above 60) anesthesia may be associated with an increased incidence of perioperative wakefulness episodes, and deeper (below 40) anesthesia may lead to a more frequent occurrence of adverse effects of anesthesia, including emergent delirium in the postoperative period. In addition to assessing the depth of anesthesia, the Conox device also allows for instrumental assessment of analgesia. Inadequate analgesia increases postoperative discomfort and may contribute to an increased incidence of complications in anesthesia and during the postoperative period. Instrumental monitoring of the depth of anesthesia and analgesia increases the safety of anesthesia care. During perioperative care, periods with significant painful stimulation include not only the surgical procedure itself but also airway management during induction of general anesthesia, especially intubation. The hypothesis is - due to the significant painful stimulation during airway management during induction of anesthesia, adequate depth of anesthesia and analgesia may be insufficient and is associated with the patient's clinical response, which may be associated with the occurrence of postoperative delirium.

This study compares two airway devices that are commonly used during elective surgery: the video laryngeal mask airway (VLM) and the video laryngoscope (VLS). Both are part of routine anesthesia practice. Our main focus is to measure how long intubation takes with each device and to see how successful the intubation is. The study does not involve any extra procedures or risks; everything will be carried out as part of normal patient care.

This observational study aims to describe the situation in Europe regarding simulation training during residency in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. The main questions it aims to answer are: How many countries in Europe have obligatory simulation training during residency? How frequent is this training? What and how is trained during simulations? How is the situation regarding funding and participation in working hours in simulation training? What are the obstacles for the countries that do not have obligatory training? Participants will fill out an electronic survey.

Peripheral Nerve Blockade (PNB) became reliable with the advent of Ultrasound (US) and Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS). US offers real-time visualization but has limitations, especially with deep or obscured nerves. PNS complements US by confirming nerve proximity through motor responses. Combining both may enhance safety and success of nerve blocks. This study compares US-guided blocks with and without PNS in a randomized trial.