The Laryngoscope
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Propofol decreases waste anesthetic gas exposure during pediatric bronchoscopy.
This study compared the anesthetic gas exposure and operating conditions during insufflation anesthesia with halothane-alone versus halothane-propofol in children undergoing direct laryngobronchoscopy. ⋯ Insufflation anesthesia with spontaneous respiration provides excellent surgical conditions for laryngobronchoscopy. The addition of propofol resulted in fewer airway complications (P =.047). Although the addition of propofol significantly decreased anesthetic gas exposure in the operating room, both techniques resulted in operating room pollution that exceeded the maximum levels of 2 ppm per hour recommended by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
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Although difficult laryngeal exposure (DLE) is a common problem encountered after procedures using a rigid laryngoscope, to date, no anticipatory physical indicators have been formally noted as reliable predictors of DLE. The purpose of this paper is to identify useful and reliable indicators by which to predict, with acceptable accuracy, the occurrence of DLE following rigid laryngoscopy. ⋯ All patients were given a physical examination, which encompassed the following nine measures: age, sex, modified Mallampati index (MMI), body mass index (BMI), hyoid-mental distance (HMD), thyroid-mental distance (TMD), thyroid-mandible angle (TMA), horizontal thyroid distance (HTD), and vertical thyroid distance (VTD). Stepwise regression was employed on patient data to identify those with DLE. RESULTS The ages of patients in the DLE group ranged from 35 to 79 years, with a mean of 51.3 years. Among the nine variables, we found sex (P =.045, odds ratio = 69.159) and TMA (P =.004, odds ratio = 1.510) to be "reliable" DLE predictors. Using these two variables, 94.6% of study case patients could have been correctly classified preoperatively. Based on our comparison of case results, we found that a TMA value greater than 120 degrees in men and 130 degrees in women indicates a strong likelihood of DLE. CONCLUSIONS TMA is a sensitive, reliable, and useful predictor of DLE in both men and women. The combination of sex and TMA provide important initial clinical indicators that can alert a clinician regarding DLE probability.
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In patients with restricted abduction of the vocal cords, it has generally been accepted that glottis narrowing with laryngeal stridor during inspiration is attributed to static and passive obstruction of the glottis. However, active glottis narrowing can also be contributory. We tested the hypothesis that the vocal cord adductor is activated during inspiration in patients with restricted abduction of the vocal cords. ⋯ Not only static or passive glottis narrowing but also active narrowing may contribute to inspiratory flow limitation in patients with restricted abduction of the vocal cords. This active glottis narrowing is probably induced by an airway reflex.
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The objectives were to determine whether upper airway surgery lowers nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) settings for patients who require CPAP postoperatively for unresolved obstructive sleep apnea and to assess CPAP tolerability after upper airway surgery. ⋯ Upper airway surgery does not predictably reduce CPAP settings in the patient who requires postoperative CPAP for unresolved obstructive sleep apnea. Upper airway surgery may improve CPAP tolerability.