An emotional investment
Surgery at any age is daunting, but for a child, it can be especially scary. Parents rightfully expect that physicians will treat their child with gentle consideration and exceptional skill. Dedicated pediatric anesthesiologists know their work demands a unique focus.
In pediatric surgery, attention is critical
Dr. Randy Brenn, assistant professor of anesthesiology in critical care at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, explains why vigilance is so important in pediatric surgery. “Children are different than adults. Infants have a higher metabolism and can become hypoxic very quickly. And airways in kids from 6 months to 5 years are so hyper-reactive that a problem like laryngo-spasm (where vocal chords shut tight) can occur simply from a loud noise in the room. As a pediatric anesthesiologist, all your attention must be on the oxygenation and ventilation of the child.”
An anesthetic record is required for every operation, but during a procedure it takes attention away from the patient and often requires reconstruction after the fact. “In pediatric cases it’s sometimes difficult to write down vital signs as well as manage your patient,” says Dr. Brenn.
The benefits of automation
Philips CompuRecord automates most intraoperative documentation. It integrates data from anesthesia machines, ventilators, and patient monitors. It also provides shortcut keys so that typical process steps (such as induction or intubation) can be documented with one keystroke.
Dr. Brenn notes, “This is critical in pediatrics because you have less time to respond to problems and less time to treat them. It’s a tremendous advantage to be hands-free.”
Short cases? No problem
Many pediatric procedures are quite short, with surgical teams performing several in succession. “CompuRecord actually facilitates good records in short cases,” says Dr. Brenn. “When you have the same surgeon, the same anesthesiologist, essentially the same team doing 10 cases in a row, you can pull similar information from the previous case. We do it all the time. And have no problem completing an accurate record on time.”
Better preparation with better preoperative evaluations
A.I. duPont has developed an effective preoperative evaluation program. “We’ve actually designed a preoperative clinic around CompuRecord’s preoperative module,” says Brenn. “Most of our patient interactions start there. This allows us to head off problems before surgery in complex patients.”
The goal is to make the history review and physical evaluation as efficient and convenient as possible for the family. Nurses can collect the patient history over the phone, for example, precluding disruptive trips to the hospital. Physicals can be done on the day of arrival. All the information is stored in CompuRecord and available to the anesthesia team at any time throughout the process.
Retrospective analysis hones team skills
At their monthly QA meeting Dr. Brenn and colleagues review selected cases. CompuRecord makes this easy. “By comparing case data and vital sign information, anomalies become obvious,” says Brenn. “We can learn from this review and adjust our practice as we see the need.”
Quality of care
Thorough documentation should never come at a kid’s expense. With CompuRecord, pediatric anesthesiologists can keep complete records and perform optimally. Dr. Brenn clearly recognizes the benefits. “The basic overriding concept with CompuRecord is that I have critical information at my fingertips – information that is collected and recorded for me while I do what I do best – attend to my kids.”