JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery
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JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2014
Comparative StudyTesting for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea when health care resources are rationed.
Evaluation of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea in resource-limited health care systems necessitates testing modalities that are accurate and more cost-effective than polysomnography. ⋯ Oximetry studies evaluated with the McGill Oximetry Score expedite diagnosis and treatment of children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy referred for suspected sleep-disordered breathing. When resources for testing for sleep-disordered breathing are rationed or severely limited, our proposed diagnostic approach can help maximize cost-savings and allows sleep laboratories to focus resources on medically complex children requiring polysomnographic evaluation of suspected sleep disorders.
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JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2014
Laryngoscope illuminance in a tertiary children's hospital: implications for quality laryngoscopy.
Laryngoscopes are used by otolaryngologists in a variety of hospital emergency and critical care settings. However, only rarely have quality-related aspects of laryngoscope function and application been studied. ⋯ At our facility, approximately one-third of incandescent laryngoscopes exhibited substandard light output. On the basis of these findings, our hospital has converted all of its incandescent laryngoscopes to light-emitting diode (LED) devices. Such changes, as well as the institution of a quality-control program including scheduled laryngoscope inspection and battery and bulb replacement for incandescent laryngoscopes, may reduce adverse events associated with poor-quality direct laryngoscopy.
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JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2014
Transoral robotic surgery for obstructive sleep apnea in Asian patients: a Singapore sleep centre experience.
This study investigates the effectiveness of combined palatal surgery and transoral robotic surgical (TORS) tongue base reduction with partial epiglottidectomy in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in an Asian context. To our knowledge, this is the first report on TORS for OSA in Asian patients in the literature. ⋯ Transoral robotic surgery for tongue base reduction and partial epiglottidectomy for moderate to severe OSA in Asian patients for whom positive airway pressure treatment had failed is associated with good efficacy and low complication rates.
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JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2014
Public awareness of head and neck cancers: a cross-sectional survey.
Head and neck cancer (HNC) is responsible for substantial morbidity, mortality, and cost in the United States. Early detection and lifestyle risk factors associated with HNC, both determinants of disease burden and outcomes, are interrelated with public knowledge of this disease. Understanding of current public knowledge of HNC is lacking. ⋯ Self-reported and objective measures indicate that few American adults know much about HNC including risk factors such as tobacco use and HPV infection and common symptoms. Strategies to improve public awareness and knowledge of signs, symptoms, and risk factors may decrease the disease burden of HNC and are important topics for future research.