Establishment of a pediatric surgery center: increasing anesthetic efficiency.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether the establishment of dedicated pediatric operating rooms (ORs) staffed exclusively by pediatric anesthesiologists has had a significant impact on anesthetic efficiency during surgery.


METHODS
Before and after design.


METHODS
General and pediatric operating rooms at Yale-New Haven Hospital.


RESULTS
Using Operating Room Information System data (1991 to 1997), we examined whether the anesthesia-controlled time, the time it takes for induction and emergence of anesthesia of a selected surgical procedure (tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy), was affected by the change of practice from general to pediatric ORs. The average length of anesthesia induction decreased by 30% (p = 0.0007). Similarly, the average length of emergence from anesthesia decreased by 42% (p = 0.01) and anesthesia-controlled time decreased by 31% (p = 0.0008). Of particular importance is the decrease by 75% in the anesthesia-controlled time range (maximum-minimum).


CONCLUSIONS
The establishment of dedicated pediatric ORs resulted in significantly shorter anesthesia induction and emergence times. Furthermore, the decreased variability of anesthesia-controlled time may allow for better scheduling of surgical cases and for better surgeon and patient satisfaction.
Kain
Z N
ZN
Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8051, USA. kain@biomed.med.yale.edu
Fasulo
A
A
Rimar
S
S
D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods; D018681:Anesthetics, General / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003237:Connecticut; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D009870:Operating Room Information Systems; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000145:classification / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013997:Time Factors; D014068:Tonsillectomy
D018681:Anesthetics, General