Early Ambulation to Prevent Delirium After Long-Time Head and Neck Cancer Surgery.

Objective: Postoperative delirium is known to have various adverse effects on head and neck surgery patients. This study was designed to identify possible risk factors of delirium following long periods of head and neck cancer surgery and to help prevent postoperative delirium. Methods: We enrolled 197 patients who underwent long-time (>6 h) head and neck surgery at the Asan Medical Center from January 2017 to December 2018 in this study. Clinical covariates that may be associated with delirium were analyzed retrospectively using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Delirium occurred in 18 patients (9.1%). Within the first 7 days, 16 patients (88.9%) experienced delirium. Upon univariate analysis, delirium was associated with old age (≥75, p = 0.001), past neurological history (p = 0.019), time to ambulation (p = 0.014), and postoperative hospital day (p = 0.048). In multivariate analysis, old age (≥75, odds ratios (OR) 6.16, CI 2.00-19.00, p = 0.002), time to ambulation (OR 1.04, CI 1.01-1.07, p = 0.017), and past neurological history (OR 5.26, CI 1.09-25.37, p = 0.039) were significant risk factors associated with postoperative delirium. Conclusions: Older patients or patients with neurologic history must be attended with care, especially early after surgery. Encouraging early ambulation might lower the incidence of postoperative delirium and, subsequently, reduce adverse effects. This result could benefit patients by helping them avoid undesirable outcomes.

Two cases of extraluminal migration of fishbones into the thyroid gland and submandibular gland.

Laryngopharyngeal or cervical pain following ingestion of foreign bodies is one of the most frequently encountered emergencies in otolaryngologic practice. Although most of these foreign bodies can be easily removed under laryngoscopic examination without any complications, surgical removal may be required when foreign bodies migrate extraluminally. This report describes two rare cases of ingested fishbones that had migrated, one each to the thyroid gland and submandibular gland. Extraluminal migration fishbones should always be considered in otolaryngologic clinics.

Suggested Protocol for Managing Acute Suppurative Cervical Lymphadenitis in Children to Reduce Unnecessary Surgical Interventions.

OBJECTIVES: The indications and benefits of surgery in the management of pediatric acute suppurative cervical lymphadenitis (ASCL) remain unclear. We aimed to design a management protocol focusing on the avoidance of unnecessary operation in pediatric ASCL patients. METHODS: The study population consisted of 45 pediatric patients with ASCL treated with antibiotics alone and 30 surgically treated patients. The primary outcome was the determination of differences in patient characteristics and radiologic findings in the 2 groups. The secondary outcome, after matching 20 cases with 20 controls, was to determine the benefits of surgery to patients. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in patient characteristics and radiologic findings at initial presentation. In the matched case-control analysis, intravenous antibiotics alone yielded successful treatment outcomes when compared with surgery, with no significant differences in time to symptom resolution, normalized laboratory test results, and duration of hospitalization (all P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The size and location of suppurated lymph nodes are not absolute determinants for surgical drainage in the stable pediatric ASCL patients. If patients show no clinical improvements despite appropriate second- and third-line antibiotics, patients should be carefully reevaluated and image-guided aspiration considered.