Ear, nose, & throat journal
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We conducted a study to assess residents' levels of comfort with advanced airway management in Canadian otolaryngology residency programs. In October 2008, an electronic questionnaire was sent to all otolaryngology residents in Canada. Responses were voluntary and anonymous. ⋯ This is the first wide-scale assessment of the status of airway teaching in otolaryngology residency programs in Canada. Overall, our findings suggest that otolaryngology residents in these programs are not comfortable with advanced airway management early in their training and feel they would benefit from a significant increase in airway teaching time. Comfort levels improved with increasing levels of training such that PGY5 residents indicated they were indeed comfortable with advanced airway management.
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Hypocalcemia is a well-known complication of total thyroidectomy. Patients who have previously undergone gastric bypass surgery may be at increased risk of hypocalcemia due to gastrointestinal malabsorption, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and an underlying vitamin D deficiency. We present the case of a 58-year-old woman who underwent a total thyroidectomy for the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. ⋯ Her serum calcium levels remained normal on this regimen after hospital discharge despite persistent hypoparathyroidism. Bariatric surgery patients who undergo thyroid surgery require aggressive supplementation to maintain normal serum calcium levels. Preoperative supplementation with calcium and vitamin D is strongly recommended.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparative study of intranasal septal splints and nasal packs in patients undergoing nasal septal surgery.
We conducted a prospective, comparative, interventional study to evaluate the role of intranasal septal splints and to compare the results of this type of support with those of conventional nasal packing. Our study population was made up of 60 patients, aged 18 to 50 years, who had undergone septoplasty for the treatment of a symptomatic deviation of the nasal septum at our tertiary care referral hospital. These patients were randomly divided into two groups according to the type of nasal support they would receive: 30 patients (25 men and 5 women, mean age: 23.3 yr) received bilateral intranasal septal splints and the other 30 (26 men and 4 women, mean age: 22.4 yr) underwent anterior nasal packing. ⋯ At the 6-week follow-up, only 2 patients (6.7%) in the splint group exhibited a residual deformity, compared with 8 patients (26.7%) in the packing group (p = 0.038). Finally, no patient in the splint group had an intranasal adhesion at follow-up, while 4 (13.3%) in the packing group did (p < 0.05). We conclude that intranasal septal splints result in less postoperative pain without increasing postoperative complications, and thus they can be used as an effective alternative to nasal packing after septoplasty.