Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2009

Mentor: Sam T. (John) Sum-Ping, M.D.
Department: Anesthesiology and Pain Management
Room number: Dallas VA 5B-309
Mail Code: 9068
Phone number: (214) 857-1818
E-mail: sam.sum-ping@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Effects of Perioperative Fluid Management in Open Prostatectomy Surgery

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 08-120

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects): Patient-based research

Brief Description of Project:
The current study seeks to explore the relationship between perioperative fluid delivery and surgical outcome and postsurgical recovery rates among patients undergoing open prostatectomy surgery. Approximately 100 patients, randomly divided into control and experimental conditions, will be observed during the course of this study. A control condition, to which the anesthesiologist will be blinded, will be provided with the standard fluid management techniques during the perioperative period. This entails replacing the fasting period acquired fluid, administering maintenance fluid, as well as third space fluid replacement. The amount of fluid given to the experimental condition during the perioperative period will be specifically monitored to ensure that it is equal to the amount required to maintain the patient's normal volume and cardiac output at a resting state. This amount will be determined by measuring the patient's cardiac output and stroke volume and achieved by adding 100cc aliquots of 5% albumin. Cardiac output will be monitored during surgery in both conditions, but the cardiac output in the experimental condition will be monitored with the objective of keeping it within 10% of its baseline normovolemic state (again achieved by adding 100cc aliquots of 5% albumin). Amount of fluid infused, amount of bleeding, blood products needed, arterial blood gases, post-operative urine output, time to gastrointestinal mobility and length of hospital stay will all be measured in this study. It is hypothesized that patients who have been maintained in a normovolemic state during the perioperative and operative periods will have better postsurgical results. The student will assist with subject recruitment, data collection and analysis, etc.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
Sum-Ping STJ, Makary LF, Van Hal MD: Factors influencing oxygen store during denitrogenation in the healthy patient. JCA (In Print)