Laryngotracheal Reconstruction in Adults Aged 60 Years and Older.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and execution of major open laryngotracheal operations for patients in the advanced decades. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Multidisciplinary clinic at a tertiary care academic hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patient characteristics, operative course, and postoperative outcomes were retrospectively recorded for all airway reconstruction operations performed between 1999 and 2016 on patients aged ≥60 years Long-term success was defined as prosthesis-free survival at last follow-up. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients met inclusion criteria, and the median age was 71 years (interquartile range, 63-74). Tracheal resection was the most common procedure (13 patients), followed by laryngotracheal reconstruction (7 patients). Fifteen patients began their operation with a tracheostomy, 6 of whom underwent decannulation prior to leaving the operating room. Three additional patients underwent decannulation at follow-up appointments and were prosthesis-free at most recent follow-up. The mean time to decannulation among these patients was 3 months. Of the 14 patients beginning their procedure without a tracheostomy, only 2 required permanent airway prosthesis. The overall long-term rate of prosthesis-free survival was 72.4% (21 of 29 patients). Factors suggestive of long-term success include lower McCaffrey grade and lack of pulmonary disease, hypertension, or diabetes, as well as decreased red blood cell distribution width on preoperative complete blood count. CONCLUSION: Through careful patient selection, preoperative workup, and meticulous postoperative care, airway reconstruction procedures in patients aged ≥60 years are reasonably successful. Of 29 patients, 21 (72.4%) were successfully breathing long-term without airway prosthesis.

Multicenter Assessment of Antibiotic Prophylaxis Spectrum on Surgical Infections in Head and Neck Cancer Microvascular Reconstruction.

Objective To characterize and identify risk factors for 30-day surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients with head and neck cancer who underwent microvascular reconstruction. Study Design Cross-sectional study with nested case-control design. Setting Nine American tertiary care centers. Subjects and Methods Hospitalized patients were included if they underwent head and neck cancer microvascular reconstruction from January 2003 to March 2016. Cases were defined as patients who developed 30-day SSI; controls were patients without SSI at 30 days. Postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis (POABP) regimens were categorized by Gram-negative (GN) spectrum: no GN coverage, enteric GN coverage, and enteric with antipseudomonal GN coverage. All POABP regimens retained activity against anaerobes and Gram-positive bacteria. Thirty-day prevalence of and risk factors for SSI were evaluated. Results A total of 1307 patients were included. Thirty-day SSI occurred in 189 (15%) patients; median time to SSI was 11.5 days (interquartile range, 7-17). Organisms were isolated in 59% of SSI; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (6%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9%) were uncommon. A total of 1003 (77%) patients had POABP data: no GN (17%), enteric GN (52%), and antipseudomonal GN (31%). Variables independently associated with 30-day SSI were as follows: female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.2), no GN POABP (aOR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.5-3.3), and surgical duration ≥11.8 hours (aOR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.3-2.7). Longer POABP durations (≥6 days) or antipseudomonal POABP had no association with SSI. Conclusions POABP without GN coverage was significantly associated with SSI and should be avoided. Antipseudomonal POABP or longer prophylaxis durations (≥6 days) were not protective against SSI. Antimicrobial stewardship interventions should be made to limit unnecessary antibiotic exposures, prevent the emergence of resistant organisms, and improve patient outcomes.

Free Flap Reconstruction Monitoring Techniques and Frequency in the Era of Restricted Resident Work Hours.

Importance: Free flap reconstruction of the head and neck is routinely performed with success rates around 94% to 99% at most institutions. Despite experience and meticulous technique, there is a small but recognized risk of partial or total flap loss in the postoperative setting. Historically, most microvascular surgeons involve resident house staff in flap monitoring protocols, and programs relied heavily on in-house resident physicians to assure timely intervention for compromised flaps. In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandated the reduction in the hours a resident could work within a given week. At many institutions this new era of restricted resident duty hours reshaped the protocols used for flap monitoring to adapt to a system with reduced resident labor. Objectives: To characterize various techniques and frequencies of free flap monitoring by nurses and resident physicians; and to determine if adapted resident monitoring frequency is associated with flap compromise and outcome. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multi-institutional retrospective review included patients undergoing free flap reconstruction to the head and/or neck between January 2005 and January 2015. Consecutive patients were included from different academic institutions or tertiary referral centers to reflect evolving practices. Main Outcomes and Measures: Technique, frequency, and personnel for flap monitoring; flap complications; and flap success. Results: Overall, 1085 patients (343 women [32%] and 742 men [78%]) from 9 institutions were included. Most patients were placed in the intensive care unit postoperatively (n = 790 [73%]), while the remaining were placed in intermediate care (n = 201 [19%]) or in the surgical ward (n = 94 [7%]). Nurses monitored flaps every hour (q1h) for all patients. Frequency of resident monitoring varied, with 635 patients monitored every 4 hours (q4h), 146 monitored every 8 hours (q8h), and 304 monitored every 12 hours (q12h). Monitoring techniques included physical examination (n = 949 [87%]), handheld external Doppler sonography (n = 739 [68%]), implanted Doppler sonography (n = 333 [31%]), and needle stick (n = 349 [32%]); 105 patients (10%) demonstrated flap compromise, prompting return to the operating room in 96 patients. Of these 96 patients, 46 had complete flap salvage, 22 had partial loss, and 37 had complete loss. The frequency of resident flap checks did not affect the total flap loss rate (q4h, 25 patients [4%]; q8h, 8 patients [6%]; and q12h, 8 patients [3%]). Flap salvage rates for compromised flaps were not statistically different. Conclusions and Relevance: Academic centers rely primarily on q1h flap checks by intensive care unit nurses using physical examination and Doppler sonography. Reduced resident monitoring frequency did not alter flap salvage nor flap outcome. These findings suggest that institutions may successfully monitor free flaps with decreased resident burden.

Transoral robotic surgery frontiers.

Transoral robotic surgery is a exciting field that continues to develop and push the boundaries of current procedural ability and challenges historical treatment paradigms. With the first use of a surgical robot in 1985, to the first clinical use of the robot transorally in 2005, there was some lag in adoption of robotic techniques in the head and neck region. However, since 2005 transoral robotic surgery has rapidly gained momentum amongst head and neck surgeons. With FDA approval of the da Vinci robot in 2009, transoral robotic surgery is currently offered as a treatment modality for malignant and nonmalignant disease of the head and neck region. This new technology is being used to reconsider historical treatment paradigms for malignancies of the upper aerodigestive tract due to the fact that minimally invasive surgical access to the oropharynx and larynx has been improved. Along with this enhanced access have come innovative procedures and uses of the technology for multiple facets of head and neck disease. Technology continues to improve and innovation in surgical robotics is expected to continue as more companies attempt to capture this market. This article aims to provide a view at the landscape of transoral robotic surgery and explore the future frontiers.

Oral antibiotics and the management of chronic sinusitis: what do we know?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic rhinosinusitis affected 12.5% of the general population in the United States, making it one of the most common causes for patients to seek medical care. Despite a lack of compelling evidence, antibiotics are the most frequently prescribed class of medications for the treatment of chronic sinusitis, demonstrating a deeply rooted belief that bacteria are in some way responsible for the disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite the high prevalence of sinusitis, the cause of chronic rhinosinusitis remains elusive despite multiple attempts to determine the underlying cause. Theories have come and gone throughout the years with fungi, bacteria, host immunological defects, allergy, structural and functional defects, gastroesophageal reflux disease, environmental chemicals, and bacterial biofilms being blamed for this chronic inflammatory state of the sinonasal mucosa. Recent literature has continued to explore these various theories. SUMMARY: To date, there is no high-quality evidence that antibiotic therapy has any effect on the long-term management of chronic rhinosinusitis. No randomized placebo-controlled studies evaluating the utility of antibiotics have as yet been conducted. There remains an urgent need for a high-quality, prospective clinical trial to determine the proper role of antibiotics in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Forces Applied at the Skull Base during Transnasal Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Pituitary Tumor Excision.

Objectives Our laboratory is developing a surgical robotic system to further improve dexterity and visualization that will allow for broader application of transnasal skull base surgery. To optimize this system, intraoperative force data are required. Using a modified curette, force data were recorded and analyzed during pituitary tumor excision. Design A neurosurgical curette was modified by the addition of a force sensor. The instrument was validated in an in vitro model to measure forces during simulated pituitary tumor excision. Following this, intraoperative force data from three patients during transnasal endoscopic excision of pituitary tumors was obtained. Setting Academic medical center. Main Outcome Measures Forces applied at the skull base during surgical excision of pituitary tumors. Results Average forces applied during in vitro testing ranged from 0.1 to 0.15 N. Average forces recorded during in vivo testing ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 N. Maximal forces occurred with collisions of the bony sella. The average maximal force was 1.61 N. There were no complications related to the use of the modified curette. Conclusions Forces to remove pituitary tumor are small and are similar between patients. The in vitro model presented here is adequate for further testing of a robotic skull base surgery system.

Rehabilitation of bilaterally paralyzed canine larynx with implantable stimulator.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Bilateral stimulation of the posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscles offers a physiologic approach to rehabilitate ventilation to a normal level in case of bilateral laryngeal paralysis. The objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new generation stimulator in restoring glottal opening, ventilation, and exercise tolerance. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study in three canines over 6 to 17 months. METHODS: A Genesis XP stimulator and electrodes were surgically implanted, and the recurrent laryngeal nerves sectioned/repaired bilaterally. In bimonthly sessions, vocal fold movement was measured endoscopically in the anesthetized animal. The movement resulted from PCA stimulation or hypercapnea during spontaneous breathing. Exercise tolerance was measured on a treadmill using pulse oximetry and swallowing function examined by videofluoroscopy. RESULTS: During the denervation phase, there was minimal ventilatory compromise and near normal exercise tolerance with the device off (12 minutes, up to 8 mph). PCA stimulation produced only nominal abduction. During the reinnervation phase, synkinetic reinnervation became significant with narrowed passive airway and paradoxical closure of the glottis during hypercapnea. Animals were stridorous and could walk for only 1 to 2 minutes at 4 mph. With the device activated, bilateral PCA stimulation increased glottal area from 50 mm(2) to 250 mm(2), even during hypercapnea, equaling that of a normally innervated animal. Exercise tolerance was normal. There was no evidence of aspiration during deglutition. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that severe ventilatory compromise only occurs following faulty reinnervation of laryngeal muscles. Bilateral PCA stimulation can result in complete rehabilitation of ventilation and exercise tolerance without impairment of swallowing.