The Laryngoscope
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Implementation of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty hour standards has had limited effects on resident training in otolaryngology. ⋯ Compliance with ACGME duty hour standards remains challenging in otolaryngology. Neither residents nor PDs agree that implementation of the duty hour standards has led to the intended improvements in patient care or resident education, although most agree that resident morale has improved. Further study of objective patient care and educational outcome measures is indicated to validate the need for this change in residency training.
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Kaposi's sarcoma is a common malignancy in patients infected with HIV but is rarely seen in the major salivary glands. If a patient is known to be HIV-positive, however, Kaposi's sarcoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of salivary gland masses in addition to the benign and malignant neoplasms that occur in immunocompetent patients. We present a unique case in which an otherwise healthy patient was diagnosed with HIV after resection of his enlarged parotid gland revealed Kaposi's sarcoma. ⋯ Although Kaposi's sarcoma is common in AIDS patients, there are few case reports of this malignancy arising in the salivary glands. Previously reported cases include salivary gland Kaposi's sarcoma in known HIV-positive patients and a handful of reports in patients without confirmed immunocompromise. The patient presented here is unique because the diagnosis of parotid gland Kaposi's sarcoma led to a new diagnosis of HIV. This interesting case reiterates the need for complete history taking and the inclusion of Kaposi's sarcoma in the differential diagnosis of salivary gland masses in the appropriate patient population.
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The trend toward minimally invasive surgery has led to the development and mastery of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgical techniques. These minimally invasive approaches, which only two decades ago were either novel or experimental, are now mainstream. More recently, robot-assisted surgery has evolved as an adjunct to open and endoscopic techniques. Surgical robots are now approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for a variety of thoracic and abdominal/pelvic surgical procedures. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of robot-assisted microlaryngeal surgery. ⋯ Robot-assisted laryngeal surgery can be performed with currently available technology. The potential for fine manipulation of tissues, increased freedom of instrument movement, and endolaryngeal suturing may increase the precision of endoscopic laryngeal microsurgery and offers the potential to increase the variety of laryngeal procedures that can be performed endoscopically.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial of a novel matrix hemostatic sealant in patients with acute anterior epistaxis.
Floseal, a novel hemostatic sealant composed of collagen-derived particles and topical bovine-derived thrombin, is applied as a high-viscosity gel for hemostasis. This study is a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial of Floseal compared with nasal packing in patients with acute anterior epistaxis. ⋯ Floseal hemostatic sealant is a better tolerated, more effective, safe, and easy alternative to nasal packing in patients presenting with acute anterior epistaxis. Future studies may wish to evaluate Floseal's use in posterior epistaxis.
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Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common condition characterized by repetitive pharyngeal collapse during sleep and daytime sleepiness. There is genetic predisposition to sleep disorders. Serotonin is involved in the regulation of sleep. The synaptic 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT) is inactivated by presynaptic reuptake, which is mediated by the serotonin transporter. Blockage of the serotonin transporter leads to increased extracellular 5-HT. Polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene (STG) leads to alterations in serotonin level and may be important in OSAS. In this study, we aimed to assess the role of STG polymorphism in OSAS. ⋯ STG polymorphism appears to be associated with the occurrence of OSAS, especially in male patients. Absence of association of between genetic variants and polysomnography findings may suggest that some mechanisms other than STG polymorphism are involved in OSAS pathophysiology. Our results need confirmation in a larger group of patients with OSAS.