1 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the Halo Index has utility in detecting the difference between normal and non-normal recovery of patients in the first few hours immediately following major inpatient surgery. A small but significant percentage of patients who undergo major surgery will experience a major life-threatening complication in the first 30 days following surgery. The chance of developing one or more of these complications increases with the size of the surgery and with the severity of the patient's preexisting medical problems. It is unknown whether fluctuations in a patient's vital signs and other measures of bodily function that occur early in the recovery period are associated with postoperative complications. If this is so, it may be possible to predict who is at increased risk for complications based on monitoring during the early recovery period. This study will make use of the Halo Index, a compilation of measures of patient functions collected by non-invasive monitoring devices. In addition to heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and breathing rate, these include measures of dissolved oxygen in the blood, the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, and other parameters. Patients will have two additional non-invasive monitors attached during their stay in the hospital post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). After the patient has been discharged from the hospital, their medical record will be reviewed at two time points: The first will be soon after discharge. Normal recovery patients will be defined as those who require only IV fluids, pain medications and anti-emetic medications. Non-normal recovery will include those who require transfusions of blood products, airway interventions such as a breathing tube, blood pressure medications, or heart rhythm medications. The second chart review will occur 30 days after surgery. In this review, the presence or absence of the following events will be ascertained: rapid response team calls, admission to the intensive care unit, infection, pneumonia, the need for transfusion of 5 or more units of blood within a three-day period, septic shock, the need for ventilation with a breathing tube, blood clot in the lung, kidney failure, coma, stroke, heart attack, and death.