The Laryngoscope
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Review Case Reports
Unusual airway complication after percutaneous tracheotomy: case report and literature review.
We report a case of a 59-year-old male who experienced tracheoesophageal fistula and grade IV subglottic stenosis after percutaneous dilation tracheotomy. Although percutaneous tracheotomy is considered a safe procedure that is often performed in the intensive care unit setting, it is not without complications. While subglottic stenosis and tracheoesophageal fistula are known complications of percutaneous tracheotomy, this report discusses a patient who experienced both complications simultaneously. The purpose of this report is to discuss potential serious complications of percutaneous tracheotomy and their management, and to review the literature on percutaneous tracheotomy complications. ⋯ NA
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Otologic complaints may place a significant burden on emergency departments (EDs) in the United States; however, few studies have comprehensively examined this discrete patient population. We aimed to identify utilization of EDs by patients with primary otologic complaints. ⋯ 4
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Impact of postoperative pneumonia following pituitary surgery.
Postoperative pneumonia (PNA) has been identified as a preventable never event by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS has discussed possibly discontinuing reimbursement for this postoperative complication. In this study, risk factors, patient outcomes, and hospital charges of care associated with postoperative PNA in patients undergoing pituitary surgery were evaluated. ⋯ 2C.
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Thermal injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) may not be visually apparent and may go unrecognized intraoperatively. This study aimed to investigate the heat thermal tolerance of RLN and evaluate the electrophysiologic correlates of electromyographic (EMG) signal change during an acute RLN heat damage. ⋯ N/A.