Helder Ribeiro Pereira , Hospital da Luz Póvoa de Varzim anaesthesiologist, concluded his doctorate degree in Clinical Research and Health Services, last April 16, at the School of Medicine of Porto University (FMUP). In his thesis – entitled “The impact of the intraoperative use of ketamine in the quality of recovery post laparoscopic surgery” –, Helder Pereira analyses the impact of ketamine administration, at the level of the quality of recovery, during anaesthesic induction, in laparoscopic surgeries. “The practice of a safe and efficient anaesthesia centred in the patient rests on the evaluation of satisfaction as quality criterion”, sustains Helder Ribeiro Pereira. “An anaesthesic recovery of quality should not be merely assessed by the absence of pain or other complications; it should also take into account the impact at the level of the personal dimensions of the patient, namely emotional, comfort, sense of well-being, and autonomy”, he explains. The evaluation of these dimensions of quality of recovery, based on patient-reported outcomes, was conducted via the questionnaire Quality of Recovery 15 (QOR-15), in its version validated for Portuguese. The research and the thesis elaboration were based on two scientific studies conducted by Helder Ribeiro Pereira and his research team – namely, “ Association between intraoperative ketamine and the incidence of emergence delirium in laparoscopic surgeries: an observational study ”, published in 2022, and “ Impact of ketamine on quality of recovery after laparoscopic surgery: a single-centre single-blinded trial using QOR-15 Questionnaire ”, published in 2023. Among the main conclusions of the thesis, which earned the unanimous approval of the jury , we highlight the following: The quality of recovery is not affected by the intraoperative administration of ketamine in laparoscopic surgeries. In the postoperative period, some of the theoretical beneficial effects of ketamine (observed in individual analysis) may not have great impact in the improvement of recovery quality. “These papers contribute to a better understanding of the individual dimensions that can be affected by intraoperative strategies, and which can influence the quality of recovery of patients submitted to laparoscopic surgery”, further elaborates Helder Pereira. The advisors of this thesis were Fernando José Pereira Abelha (FMUP), Luís Guimarães Pereira (FMUP) and Maria José Sampaio (Engineering Faculty of Porto University). The doctorate jury included Joaquim Adelino Leite Moreira (FMUP), Dora Lopes Branco Catré (Universidade Católica Portuguesa), Daniela Chaló (Aveiro University), Fernando José Pereira Abelha (FMUP), José Adelino Barbosa (FMUP), João Filipe Azevedo (FMUP), and Joana Irene Mourão (FMUP). In the photo above, Luís Guimarães Pereira, Maria José Sampaio, Dora Lopes Branco Catré, Daniela Chaló, Fernando José Pereira Abelha, Helder Ribeiro Pereira, Joaquim Adelino Leite Moreira, José Adelino Barbosa, João Filipe Azevedo and Joana Irene Mourão.
