Eye Protection in ENT Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of evidence-based guidelines with regard to eye protection for aerosol-generating procedures in otolaryngology practice. In addition, some recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) is not compatible with commonly used ENT equipment. This study aims to investigate the degree of eye protection that commonly used PPE gives. STUDY DESIGN: Simulation model. SETTING: Simulation laboratory. METHODS: A custom-built setup was utilized to simulate the clinical scenario of a patient cough in proximity of a health care worker. A system that sprays a xanthan-fluorescein mixture was set up and calibrated to simulate a human cough. A mannequin with cellulose paper placed on its forehead, eyes, and mouth was fitted with various PPE combinations and exposed to the simulated cough. The degree of contamination on the cellulose papers was quantified with a fluorescent microscope able to detect aerosols ≥10 µm. RESULTS: When no eye protection was worn, 278 droplets/aerosols reached the eye area. The use of the surgical mask with an attached upward-facing shield alone resulted in only 2 droplets/aerosols reaching the eye area. In this experiment, safety glasses and goggles performed equally, as the addition of either brought the number of droplets/aerosols reaching the eye down to 0. CONCLUSION: When used with an upward-facing face shield, there was no difference in the eye protection rendered by safety goggles or glasses in this study. Safety glasses may be considered a viable alternative to safety goggles in aerosol-generating procedures.

Awake Intubation via an Ambu AuraGain in a Patient With Extreme Obesity: A Case Report.

Severe obesity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Airway management is challenging due to difficulties in positioning and airway management and altered pulmonary physiology. We report a case of awake flexible bronchoscopic intubation via an Ambu AuraGain in a patient with a body mass index of 54 kg/m scheduled for elective thyroidectomy. The procedure was well tolerated and easily performed in the full sitting position for optimal airway and ventilation and cardiovascular stability during intubation. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of awake flexible bronchoscopic intubation via an AuraGain, and we discuss our rationale for using this technique.

Carotid Artery Involvement in Advanced Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Surgical management of advanced head and neck tumors involving the carotid artery remains controversial with compromised survival outcomes and heightened risks of morbidity and mortality. CASE: We describe a case of a 74-year-old lady with previous T1N0M0 left tongue squamous cell carcinoma, who developed a left nodal recurrence encasing the left external carotid artery from the carotid bifurcation. She underwent an extended left radical neck dissection with carotid artery patch plasty and remains well to date, 10 months after surgery. DISCUSSION: Head and neck tumor recurrences are not uncommon, and radical resection of advanced tumors involving the carotid artery is increasingly performed. Various carotid interventions including tumor peeling, ligation, and resection with reconstruction were reported with differences in survival outcomes, morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSION: An aggressive surgical approach to advanced tumors involving the carotid artery may be a viable attempt for survival prolongation but requires proper case selection and has to be weighed against the risks of complications to better optimize patient outcomes.

Outcome predictors in elderly head and neck free flap reconstruction: A retrospective study and systematic review of the current evidence.

Free flap tissue transfer has become the gold standard for reconstruction of composite head and neck defects. We sought to investigate the efficacy and morbidity of these procedures in the elderly. We retrospectively reviewed 245 head and neck free flap procedures (234 patients). Patients were stratified by age group (≥ or <65 years). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the following primary outcomes - free flap survival, postoperative medical and surgical complications and 30-day mortality. We found that free flap success and surgical complication rates were similar between the two age groups. Overall flap success and perioperative mortality rates were 94.3% and 2.1% respectively. Medical complications were significantly more common in the elderly group (p <0.001) and this correlated with comorbidity (OR = 2.81, p = 0.044) and advanced tumour stage (OR = 10.20, p= 0.029). Age was not independently associated with poor outcomes in our cohort. We then performed a systematic review of similar case-control studies worldwide and compared their findings with our results. We conclude that advanced age does not preclude free flap success in head and neck reconstruction. Rather, the presence of comorbidity appears to predict the development of medical complications postoperatively. Elderly patients with low comorbidity scores may be offered free flap reconstruction with less reservation.