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Study objective To create a preoperative predictive model for prolonged post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) stay for outpatient surgery and compare with an existing (University of California-San Diego, UCSD) model. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting Post-anaesthesia care unit. Patients: Outpatient surgical patients discharged on the same day in a large academic institution. Preoperative data were collected. The study period was three months in 2016. Measurements: Prolonged PACU stay defined as a length of stay longer than the third quartile. We utilized multivariate regression analyses and bootstrapping statistical techniques to create a predictive model for prolonged PACU stay. Main results: Four strong predictors for prolonged PACU stay: general anaesthesia, obstructive sleep apnoea, surgical specialty and scheduled case duration. Our model had an excellent discrimination performance and a good calibration. Conclusion We developed a predictive model for prolonged PACU stay in our institution. This model is different from the UCSD model probably secondary to local and regional differences in outpatient surgery practice. Therefore, individual practice study outcomes may not apply to other practices without careful consideration of these differences.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate appropriateness of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before direct current cardioversion (DCC), investigate indications for TEE, and analyze if indications are predictive of outcome. According to American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Society of Echocardiography 2011 Appropriateness Criteria, TEE is appropriate in the evaluation of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to facilitate clinical decision making with regards to anticoagulation and/or DCC. However, it is unclear in which instances physicians utilize TEE. We reviewed 671 TEE studies in 604 AF patients (age 66 ± 13 years, 67% male) in which TEE was performed before DCC for left atrial thrombus (LAT)/sludge. Studies were divided by the main indication for TEE into the following 8 categories: 1) congestive heart failure (CHF)/hemodynamic compromise; 2) symptomatic; 3) new onset AF; 4) hospitalized and symptomatic; 5) high stroke risk; 6) subtherapeutic anticoagulation; 7) miscellaneous; and 8) inappropriate for TEE. The main indications for TEE before DCC were symptomatic (26.4%) and CHF/hemodynamic compromise (26.1%). We deemed 2.7% of the studies as inappropriate. LAT/sludge was found in 8.2% of studies. Incidence of LAT/sludge differed significantly between indications (p = 0.0021) and the highest incidences occurred in the high stroke risk (17.6%) and hospitalized and symptomatic (14.1%) categories. No LAT/sludge was found in the miscellaneous or inappropriate groups. Stroke occurred in 2.5% (n = 15) of all patients and in all groups except for miscellaneous and inappropriate (p = 0.3). TEE is appropriately used prior to DCC for patients with the main indications of symptomatic and CHF/hemodynamic compromise. In a minority of studies, TEE utilization was inappropriate. Incidence of LAT/sludge differed between indications.

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