Treatment with biological products for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is further classified as CRS with nasal polyp and CRS without nasal polyp. It is also divided into type 2 and none-type 2 by immunological endotype. Nowadays, novel biological products targeting type 2 inflammation are developed and used for the treatment of CRS with nasal polyp.Current Concepts: Dupilumab, which inhibits interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, and omalizumab, which targets immunoglobulin E, were recently approved and are currently being used as the treatment regimen for patients with recurrent CRS with nasal polyp in Korea. Many studies demonstrated enough effects of both biological products on nasal symptoms, including smell, quality of life, and polyp size. The indication of biological products is refractory CRS with nasal polyp with severe symptoms even after endoscopic sinus surgery. However, the main drawback of these biological products is a high cost since they are non-reimbursement regimens as defined by Korean national health insurance.Discussion and Conclusion: Further research on the use of dupilumab and omalizumab in Korean patients will be needed because the Korean CRS endotype, which is characterized by less-type-2 CRS, is different from Western CRS endotypes. Additionally, investigations on the comparison of efficacy among various biological products are essential to prescribe the most appropriate biological products depending on the patients’ endotypes.

The Effects of Various Maxillary Sinus Antrostomy Techniques on Modifying the Ventilation and Air-Conditioning Characteristics of the Maxillary Sinus: A Numerical Study

Background and Objectives@#Endoscopic sinus surgery is commonly performed for maxillary sinus (MS) disease, and the surgical extent of the MS medial wall or ostium varies. We examined the effect of MS surgery on nasal airflow and air-conditioning using computational fluid dynamics in five nasal cavity numerical models. @*Methods@#Four types of unilateral virtual MS surgery were conducted on the right MS based on computed tomography images of a 49-year-old man with normal anatomy. The five models were as follows: baseline (normal), middle meatal antrostomy (MMA), MMA with inferior meatal antrostomy (MMA+IMA), mega-antrostomy (MEGA), and endoscopic medial maxillectomy (EMM). Virtual simulator software and a stereoscopic display with haptic device were used for virtual surgery. Meshing software and computer fluid dynamics software were used to generate meshes and analyze airflow. @*Results@#The MMA and MMA+IMA results were similar to the baseline model. However, EMM and MEGA exhibited some physiological changes. The amount of airflow moving into the MS was largest in the EMM model, followed by the MEGA model. The distributions of wall shear stress and surface water-vapor increased near the enlarged MS ostium in EMM and MEGA. Skewed airflow partition and different airflow rates between the operated and unoperated sites of the nose also changed the air-conditioning characteristics. EMM substantially reduced the relative humidity in the nasopharynx, and MEGA showed a smaller reduction. @*Conclusion@#Among four surgery techniques, EMM produced the largest increase in wall shear stress and surface water vapor flux on the posterior surface of the MS and the greatest deterioration in the nasal cavity’s air-conditioning capacity. MEGA reduced the local airflow disturbance inside the MS and prevented excessive degeneration of the cavity’s overall air-conditioning capacity. In conclusion, MEGA and modified EMM approaches have physiological advantages over EMM, while securing a sufficient spatial extent of resection for surgery.

A Case Report of 41-Year-Old Female with Fibrous Dysplasia Combined with Ethmoid Mucocele / 대한이비인후과학회지

Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a non-malignant progressive condition, which replaces normal bone and marrow with fibrous tissue and woven bone. Sinus mucocele is a cystic, expansile, and destructive lesion that occurs as a result of obstruction of the sinus ostium secondary to inflammation, trauma, anatomical variation, previous sinus surgery, tumor or FD. Among them, FD combined with mucocele has been rarely reported. Here we report the first case of FD combined with ethmoid mucocele. The patient underwent endoscopic debulking of FD and marsupialization of mucocele. The mucocele was successfully marsupialized, and the patient’s symptoms were completely resolved. We propose a new hypothesis that nasal mucosa invaginates into FD and forms a mucocele. For the treatment of ethmoid FD combined with mucocele, we recommend an endoscopic transnasal approach for debulking and marsupialization.

Regional and Chronological Variation of Chemosensory Dysfunction in COVID-19: a Meta-Analysis

Background@#Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction are frequently reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the reported prevalence of olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction varies widely, and the reason for the inter-study differences is unclear.Hence, in this meta-analysis, we performed subgroup analyses to investigate the factors that contribute to the inter-study variability in the prevalence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. @*Methods@#Out of 943 citations, we included 55 eligible studies with 13,527 patients with COVID-19 for a meta-analysis. Calculating the data extracted from each study, the weighted summary prevalence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction was estimated using a FreemanTukey transformation with models based on random-effects assumptions. A meta-analysis of variance compared the prevalence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction according to regional, chronological, demographic, and methodologic factors, respectively. @*Results@#The overall pooled prevalence rates of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction were 51.4% and 47.5%, respectively, in the random-effect model. In subgroup analyses, the prevalence rates of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction were significantly different among four geographical regions (both P < 0.001, respectively). Although the prevalence rates of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction did not significantly differ according to the time of enrollment, the subgroup analyses including only studies from the same geographical region (Europe) revealed a significant difference in olfactory dysfunction according to the time of enrollment. @*Conclusion@#The regional and chronological differences in the prevalence rates of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions partly explain the wide inter-study variability.

Metronome Guided CPR to Improve the Quality of CPR

PURPOSE: Consensus guidelines clearly define how cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is to be performed, but the parameters of CPR in actual practice are not routinely measured, nor is the quality known. We sought to investigate the actual quality of CPR performed by trained hospital staffs and to determine whether metronome guidance improved the quality of CPR. METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 26 out of hospital cardiac arrest patients who received CPR at an emergency department (ED). In the ED, resuscitation efforts were recorded by using a camcorder. Using the recorded data, we analyzed the parameters of CPR quality such as ventilation and chest compression rates. RESULTS: In the 26 cardiac arrests, the first nine cases constituted group I. The subsequent nine cases, after the rescuers had been re-trained to provide CPR according to the guideline, constituted group II. The final eight cases after the rescuers had been trained to use metronome guidance constituted group III. The average ventilation rate in group I was 30.7 ventilations/min. Although the average ventilation rate in group II was lower than that of group I, it was still higher than the recommended rate. After metronome guidance, the ventilation rate was significantly reduced and approached to the rate of the present guideline. The average chest compression rate in group I was higher than the rate recommended in the present guideline and was significantly reduced after metronome guidance. CONCLUSION: We strongly believe that further study should be performed to consider the survival benefit of good-quality CPR. Devices providing feedback to alert rescuers may be useful for improving the quality of CPR.

Clinical Investigation of Pneumonia Complicating Organophosphate Insecticide Poisoning: Is It Really Aspiration Pneumonia?

PURPOSE: Pneumonia is a common complication of organophosphate poisoning and increases the incidence of respiratory failure and the duration of mechanical ventilator support. Therefore, we investigated the clinical characteristics of pneumonia as a complication of organophosphate insecticide poisoning and then determined the factors related to the development of pneumonia. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on patients with organophosphate insecticide poisoning, who were treated at our hospital with medical records and chest radiograph of patients. From January 1, 2001, to July 31, 2004, eighty five patients were included in this study. RESULTS: 1) Thirty-two (71% of the patients developing pneumonia) patients developed pneumonia later than 48 hours from admission and twenty-five (55.6% of the patients developing pneumonia) patients developed pneumonia later than 48 hours after mechanical ventilatory support. 2) The mean onset of pneumonia resistant to initial empirical antibiotics was 4.8 days from admission, and that of susceptible pneumonia was 3.7 days from admission. 3) Patients with pneumonia as a complication needed larger doses of atropine and more 2-pralidoxime injections, as well as longer mechanical ventilatory support, ICU admission, and total hospital admission. CONCLUSION: Most Pneumonia in organophosphate poisoning patients were nosocomial pneumonia & ventilator-associated pneumonia. Thus, to reduce the incidence of pneumonia complication in organophosphate poisoning patients, Physicians must take measures, such as hand-washing and careful periodic drainage of tubing condensate, etc., to reduce the incidence of nosocomial pneumonia. In selecting empirical antibiotics for pneumonia complicating organophosphate poisoning patients, physicians should take regional prevalence of nosocomial pathogens into consideration. In late-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia, physicians must consider pneumonia caused by organisms resistant to commonly used empirical antibiotics.

Evaluation of Prognostic Factors in Acute Renal Failure at the Emergency Department

PURPOSE: This study intended to identify prognostic factors influencing recovery, progressing chronic renal failure (CRF) and mortality in acute renal failure (ARF) patients at the emergency department. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 104 patients with ARF and with serum creatinine (Cr) level above 2 mg/dL and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 60 years, underlying disease, cause of ARF, urine volume, existence of oliguria, duration of oliguria, proteinuria, GFR, serum BUN, serum Cr, BUN/Cr ratio, arterial pH, PaO2, S a O2, serum Na+, serum K+, serum albumin, serum total bilirubin, serum osmolarity, serum AST, serum ALT, serum creatine kinase, and serum myoglobin were all significant factors discriminating between recovery patients and nonrecovery patients (progressing CRF, mortality). Based on a multivariate analysis, sex, existence of oliguria, duration of oliguria, GFR, BUN/Cr ratio, PaO2, serum K+, SaO2, serum bilirubin, and serum osmolarity were useful factors which might affected non-recovery. CONCLUSION: In ARF, the prognostic factors were serum K+, S a O2, duration of oliguria, and BUN/Cr ratio. The higher serum K+, the lower SaO2, the longer the duration of oliguria, and the lower the BUN/Cr ratio are for ARF patients at the emergency department, the more the intensive care emergency physician must perform.

Clinical Analysis of CPR in Infants with Out-of-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Arrest

PURPOSE: Since 1960 pediatric advanced life support (PALS) has been studied and applied to clinical situations, ILCOR guidelines 2000 for CPR and ECC was achieved. Pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest differs from adult arrest in etiologies, mechanisms, and managements. This study was performed to identify the clinical manifestations and real picutre of CPR to recognize the need of standard CPR method that increases the survival in infants with out-of hospital arrest. METHODS: This study was planned by retrospectively reviewed the records of all children who arrived without spontaneous respiration and palpable pulse at the emergency room of the three Hospitals from January 1996 to July 2003. RESULTS: During that period, 45 infants presented with out of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest. Overall, there was a return of vital signs in 15 of the 45 patients; 6 survived to discharge from hospital. 1. Out-of-hospital arrest in infants demonstrated that 60% were male, mean age was 133.4 days. Of these, 71.1% of the arrests occurred in the home with family members presents, those family members didn't perform basic CPR in only 1 case. 2. In any ROSC group, the interval between the arrest and arrival at the hospital was 14.4 minutes. In ROSC never achieved group, the interval was 32.0 minutes. 3. Two of the 15 patients with SIDS(13.3%) and four of the 13 patients with respiratory arrest(30.8%) survived to hospital discharge. CONCLUSION: Factors that predicted survival to discharged alive included a death caused by respiratory disease, a short interval between the arrest and arrival at the hospital, and a short duration of resuscitation efforts in the ER. We found that need of standard guideline and commonly applied CPR techniques.