Authors: Malhotra R. et al.
Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology, October 2025. DOI: 10.1097/ANA.0000000000001021
This retrospective audit analyzed anesthesia information management system (AIMS) data to evaluate operating room (OR) utilization patterns in neurosurgery. AIMS platforms, which record timestamps for each perioperative phase, can provide detailed insights into workflow efficiency and time allocation but are underutilized for operational optimization in anesthesia services.
Conducted over one year at a tertiary neurosciences university hospital, the study included 1,800 neurosurgical cases. The researchers used AIMS timestamps to calculate durations for different phases of OR activity and examined how factors such as surgical type, ASA physical status, case order, and surgeon seniority affected total OR utilization.
Results showed that operating times and anesthesia durations varied significantly by procedure type, order of the case on the day’s list, and surgeon experience (all P < 0.001), but not by ASA classification. Notably, time from patient arrival in the OR to surgical start—often reflecting workflow coordination—was strongly influenced by case order and surgeon seniority. These findings highlight modifiable inefficiencies and the potential for AIMS data to guide scheduling, staffing, and quality improvement initiatives.
The study concludes that AIMS can serve as an effective auditing tool to assess and enhance OR efficiency in neurosurgical settings. Broader prospective, multicenter validation is needed to generalize these results across other surgical specialties.
What You Should Know
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AIMS can accurately quantify OR utilization and workflow phases in neurosurgery.
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Surgical type, case order, and surgeon seniority significantly affect OR efficiency.
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ASA status did not influence OR time utilization.
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Real-time AIMS analytics can help optimize scheduling and resource allocation.
Thank you to the Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology for publishing this practical study demonstrating how AIMS data can improve neurosurgical OR management and workflow efficiency.