Postoperative circuits in patients undergoing elective craniotomy. A narrative review

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Anesthesiology
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• A 2017 survey revealed significant variation in postoperative care and treatment circuits for neurosurgery patients in Spain.
• Current practices are inconsistent across centers, anesthesiologists, and patient pathologies.
• There is a lack of a standardized postoperative circuit for cranial neurosurgical procedures in Spanish hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a narrative review of postoperative circuits for elective craniotomy.
• To standardize clinical practice for postoperative neurosurgical care based on published evidence.
• To evaluate the necessity of routine postsurgical critical care unit admission for all elective craniotomy patients.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review was performed.
• Literature search conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed) for studies published up to November 2019.
• Keywords used included: neurosurgery, postoperative care, craniotomy.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests that not all patients undergoing elective craniotomy require routine admission to a postsurgical critical care unit.
• Significant variability exists in current postoperative care practices.

Conclusions:

• Standardization of postoperative care circuits for elective craniotomy is needed.
• Clinical practice should be guided by published evidence to optimize patient outcomes and resource allocation.