Posters

Cataract surgery: is an anaesthesiologist necessary?

Poster Details

First Author: G.Kontadakis GREECE

Co Author(s):    V. Peponis   A. Vernikou   M. Gerakidis   P. Koumoutsos   E. Themistokleous   E. Parikakis     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To determine the frequency and reasons of intervention by an anesthesiologist with intravenous administration of a medication during routine cataract surgery.

Setting:

Ophthalmiatreion” Eye Hospital of Athens, Athens Greece

Methods:

All patients scheduled for phacoemulsification surgery under topical anesthesia with drops from May until September 2018 were included. At initial assessment, we recorded patients’ complete systemic and ophthalmic history and demographics. All cases were performed according to hospital routine with the presence of anesthesiologist and preoperative prophylactic insertion of a peripheral intravenous catheter. Intraoperatively, we recorded the operative time, whether surgery was performed by a consultant or a supervised resident and the adverse events. The frequency and reasons of interventions were recorded. All recorded demographic, preoperative and intraoperative parameters were analyzed as possible predictors of the need for anesthesiologist intervention.

Results:

811 cases were included. In 39 cases (4.8%) intervention by the anesthesiologist was needed. Most frequent reason was high blood pressure, followed by significant pain, and other reasons such as significant stress or bradycardia. Intraoperative administration of mannitol was also included. None of the recorded systemic and ophthalmic history parameters (systemic hypertension, cardiovascular disease, depression, stress disorder, diabetes, glaucoma etc.) was found to be correlated with a higher frequency of anesthetist intervention in total or by type of intervention. Age and time of operation was found to be positively correlated with need for intervention.

Conclusions:

Intervention by an anesthesiologist during routine cataract surgery is needed in a limited number of cases. Apart for age and length of operation, none of the other parameters can be considered as a predicting factor.

Financial Disclosure:

None