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      Undergraduate medical textbooks do not provide adequate information on intravenous fluid therapy: a systematic survey and suggestions for improvement

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          Abstract

          Background

          Inappropriate prescribing of intravenous (IV) fluid, particularly 0.9% sodium chloride, causes post-operative complications. Fluid prescription is often left to junior medical staff and is frequently poorly managed. One reason for poor intravenous fluid prescribing practices could be inadequate coverage of this topic in the textbooks that are used.

          Methods

          We formulated a comprehensive set of topics, related to important common clinical situations involving IV fluid therapy, (routine fluid replacement, fluid loss, fluids overload) to assess the adequacy of textbooks in common use. We assessed 29 medical textbooks widely available to students in the UK, scoring the presence of information provided by each book on each of the topics. The scores indicated how fully the topics were considered: not at all, partly, and adequately. No attempt was made to judge the quality of the information, because there is no consensus on these topics.

          Results

          The maximum score that a book could achieve was 52. Three of the topics we chose were not considered by any of the books. Discounting these topics as “too esoteric”, the maximum possible score became 46. One textbook gained a score of 45, but the general score was poor (median 11, quartiles 4, 21). In particular, coverage of routine postoperative management was inadequate.

          Conclusions

          Textbooks for undergraduates cover the topic of intravenous therapy badly, which may partly explain the poor knowledge and performance of junior doctors in this important field. Systematic revision of current textbooks might improve knowledge and practice by junior doctors. Careful definition of the remit and content of textbooks should be applied more widely to ensure quality and “fitness for purpose”, and avoid omission of vital knowledge.

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          Most cited references16

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            Major complications, mortality, and resource utilization after open abdominal surgery: 0.9% saline compared to Plasma-Lyte.

            To assess the association of 0.9% saline use versus a calcium-free physiologically balanced crystalloid solution with major morbidity and clinical resource use after abdominal surgery. 0.9% saline, which results in a hyperchloremic acidosis after infusion, is frequently used to replace volume losses after major surgery. An observational study using the Premier Perspective Comparative Database was performed to evaluate adult patients undergoing major open abdominal surgery who received either 0.9% saline (30,994 patients) or a balanced crystalloid solution (926 patients) on the day of surgery. The primary outcome was major morbidity and secondary outcomes included minor complications and acidosis-related interventions. Outcomes were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression and propensity scoring models. For the entire cohort, the in-hospital mortality was 5.6% in the saline group and 2.9% in the balanced group (P < 0.001). One or more major complications occurred in 33.7% of the saline group and 23% of the balanced group (P < 0.001). In the 3:1 propensity-matched sample, treatment with balanced fluid was associated with fewer complications (odds ratio 0.79; 95% confidence interval 0.66-0.97). Postoperative infection (P = 0.006), renal failure requiring dialysis (P < 0.001), blood transfusion (P < 0.001), electrolyte disturbance (P = 0.046), acidosis investigation (P < 0.001), and intervention (P = 0.02) were all more frequent in patients receiving 0.9% saline. Among hospitals in the Premier Perspective Database, the use of a calcium-free balanced crystalloid for replacement of fluid losses on the day of major surgery was associated with less postoperative morbidity than 0.9% saline.
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              Impact of different crystalloid volume regimes on intestinal anastomotic stability.

              Anastomotic insufficiency still remains an unsolved problem in digestive surgery. Little clinical data, regarding the impact of perioperative volume management exist, which suggest lower complication rates in intestinal surgery under restrictive volume regimens. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of the extent of intraoperative fluid administration with crystalloids on the stability of intestinal anastomoses. Twenty-one rats were randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups (n = 7 rats/group): control group CO (9 mL kg h crystalloid infusion), volume restriction group V (-) (3 mL kg h), and animals with volume overload V (+) (36 mL kg h). After midline incision, all animals received the corresponding infusion for a 30-minute period. Infusion was continued for further 30 minutes whereas an end-to-end small bowel anastomosis was performed 15 cm proximal to the Bauhin valve with 8 nonabsorbable interrupted inverting sutures. At reoperation on the 4th postoperative day, the anastomotic segment was dissected and the bursting pressure [mmHg] was measured. As a second parameter for the quality of anastomotic healing, hydroxyproline concentration was examined with a spectrophotometric method [microg/g dry tissue]. Histologically, structural changes of the anastomotic segments were assessed by 2 pathologists. Data are given as mean +/- SEM. Anastomotic insufficiency was not seen in all animals. Bursting pressure of CO animals was 102 +/- 8 mmHg. Bursting pressure was lowest in V (+) with high volume exposure at 77 +/- 6 mmHg and significantly lower than V (-) (112 +/- 9 mmHg; P = 0.01) whereas the difference compared with the CO group did not reach significant values. Hydroxyproline concentration in V (+) (64.4 microg/g dry tissue +/- 7.7) was significantly lower compared with V (-) (91.7 microg/g dry tissue +/- 9.1) animals (P < 0.05). In all animals with volume overload a marked submucosal edema was found. We could demonstrate for the first time in a systematic investigation, that the quantity of crystalloid infusion, applied intraoperatively, has a significant impact on functional (bursting pressure) and structural (hydroxyproline) stability of intestinal anastomoses in the early postoperative period. Because the stability and quality of an intestinal anastomosis have an impact on insufficiency rates, it should be noted that volume overload may have deleterious effects on anastomotic healing and postoperative complications in digestive surgery, possibly because of a marked bowel wall edema.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                BMC Med Educ
                BMC Med Educ
                BMC Medical Education
                BioMed Central
                1472-6920
                2014
                20 February 2014
                : 14
                : 35
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Unit of Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life of Sciences, University of Glasgow, 2nd Floor McGregor Building, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, G11 6NT, Scotland
                [2 ]Department of Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51, Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SA, Scotland
                [3 ]Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51, Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SA, Scotland
                Article
                1472-6920-14-35
                10.1186/1472-6920-14-35
                3933276
                24555812
                caa7230a-4ec8-40f1-b36f-ffa43563c0ae
                Copyright © 2014 Powell et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.

                History
                : 3 June 2013
                : 14 February 2014
                Categories
                Research Article

                Education
                fluid therapy,teaching,textbooks,medical graduates
                Education
                fluid therapy, teaching, textbooks, medical graduates

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