Table 1 Focused research questions
From: Controversies in enhanced recovery after cardiac surgery
Topic area | Priority 1 | Priority 2 | Priority 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Patient blood management | How and when should patients undergoing non-emergent cardiac surgery be evaluated and treated for preoperative anemia? | What is the appropriate hemoglobin concentration to trigger transfusion before, during, and after cardiac surgery? | What is the role of acute normovolemic hemodilution and autologous pump priming in patient blood management during cardiac surgery? |
Goal-directed hemodynamic therapy | What is the mechanism by which goal-directed therapy improves outcomes in cardiac surgical patients? | Which elements of GDT have the greatest impact on outcomes? | Which aspects of GDT are specific to cardiac surgical patients? |
Acute kidney injury | How do novel biomarkers contribute to the prediction of postoperative AKI? | What aspects of kidney replacement therapy should be individualized to the specific patient—is there a role for goal-directed dialysis? | How do anesthetic pharmacologic strategies impact the incidence of CSA-AKI? |
Opioid reduction | Which non-opioid medications and techniques provide optimal analgesia in the cardiac surgical population? | How do opioid-sparing strategies contribute to a meaningful reduction in opioid use after cardiac surgery? | How does chronic opioid use impact perioperative pain management in the cardiac surgical setting? |
Delirium | What is the role of specific sedative drugs in the development, prevention, and management of delirium in the postoperative cardiac surgery patient? | What is the most valid and effective delirium screening tool in the post-operative cardiac surgery ward? | What non-drug treatments might reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium? |