Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
-
The sound pressure levels (SPLs) of common infant humidifiers were determined to identify the likely sound exposure to infants and young children. This primary investigative research study was completed at a tertiary-level academic medical center otolaryngology and audiology laboratory. Five commercially available humidifiers were obtained from brick-and-mortar infant supply stores. ⋯ Two of 5 (40%) humidifiers tested had SPL readings greater than the recommended hospital infant nursery levels (50 dB) at distances up to 100 cm. In this preliminary study, it was demonstrated that humidifiers marketed for infant nurseries may produce appreciably high decibel levels. Further characterization of the effect of humidifier design on SPLs and further elucidation of ambient sound levels associated with hearing risk are necessary before definitive conclusions and recommendations can be made.
-
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jun 2015
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyAmbulatory thyroidectomy: a multistate study of revisits and complications.
Determine rates and reasons for revisits after ambulatory adult thyroidectomy. ⋯ In carefully selected patients, ambulatory thyroidectomy demonstrates a good postoperative morbidity and mortality profile. Common reasons for revisits included hypocalcemia and bleeding/seroma/hematoma, which occurred with relatively high frequencies as late as a week after surgery. Quality improvement measures should be targeted at lowering revisit rates and safely managing complications.
-
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · May 2015
Understanding shared decision making in pediatric otolaryngology.
The aim of this study was to describe the level of decisional conflict experienced by parents considering surgery for their children and to determine if decisional conflict and perceptions of shared decision making are related. ⋯ Many parents experienced considerable decisional conflict when making decisions about their child's surgical treatment. Parents who perceived themselves as being more involved in the decision-making process reported less decisional conflict. Parents and physicians had different perceptions of shared decision making. Future research should develop and assess interventions to increase parents' involvement in decision making and explore the impact of significant decisional conflict on health outcomes.
-
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · May 2015
Safety and postoperative adverse events in pediatric otologic surgery: analysis of American College of Surgeons NSQIP-P 30-Day outcomes.
Describe safety and postoperative sequelae of pediatric otologic surgery and identify predictive factors for postoperative events. ⋯ Pediatric otologic procedures are common and have low rates of global 30-day postoperative events. Tympanomastoidectomy and cochlear implantation have the highest risk of 30-day readmission. Young children (<3 years) are more likely to be readmitted following these procedures. Further optimization of the NSQIP-P to include specialty and procedure-specific variables is necessary to assess complete, actionable outcomes of pediatric otologic surgery, however the present study provides a foundation to build upon for safety and quality improvement initiatives in pediatric otology.
-
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · May 2015
ReviewFree flaps in head and neck reconstruction after oncologic surgery: expected outcomes in the elderly.
To provide surgeons and clinicians with a critical review of microvascular reconstructive options and their expected outcomes after head and neck cancer resection in the elderly. ⋯ Microvascular reconstruction in the elderly can be performed with high success rates, even though medical complications can occur more frequently compared to younger patients. Minor and major surgical complications in the elderly appear to be comparable to those in the younger population and do not affect final outcome or the perioperative mortality rate. Flap outcome does not seem to be significantly affected by age. Careful preoperative assessment and postoperative monitoring are mandatory to prevent adverse events, and prompt management is warranted whenever present.