Arch Otolaryngol
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A 30-month-old female infant had a cardiopulmonary arrest due to viscous lidocaine. The protective airway mechanisms were blunted by this drug, resulting in aspiration, hypoxia, seizures, and death. Lidocaine has also been associated with respiratory depression, psychosis, methemoglobinemia, and toxic cardiovascular reactions. We do not recommend the use of viscous lidocaine for minor oral irritation in infants and young children.
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Between 1960 and 1983, 63 of 3,489 patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, were under the age of 40 years. Malignancies in these patients occurred in the oral cavity (41%), pharynx (28%), larynx (25%), and other sites (6%). One third of the patients were females and half the patients were smokers. ⋯ Management consisted of surgery, radiation, or a combination of the two. Actuarial five-year survival for the entire group was 67%. The best prognosis was for patients with cancer of the larynx, while the poorest was for those with cancer of the pharynx.