Navigating the Discrepancy: How Cost of Living (COL) Adjustments Impact Otolaryngology Residents' Salaries.

OBJECTIVE: To compare differences in otolaryngology residents' salaries in different cities and states before and after adjusting for the cost of living. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) otolaryngology residency program websites. METHODS: US otolaryngology residency programs were identified via the ACGME database in December 2023. Stipends posted by each residency program were compared to the cost of living (COL) for related states and major cities. A baseline value of 100 was used as the mean COL, values over 100 indicate above-mean COL. The weighted salary by state and cities for postgraduate year (PGY) 1 to 5 combined was expressed as mean (SD). Comparisons between salaries before and after adjustment for the COL were assessed using t tests. RESULTS: The mean otolaryngology residency stipend across the nation, by city, was $70,572 (n = 1290, range: $58,100-$93,402; SD = $8370), with a post-COL adjustment mean stipend of $64,055 (range: $39,193-$76,674, SD = $10,094, p < .001). Otolaryngology residents in Manhattan, New York State faced a mean decrease from $89,282 to $39,193 (-56%) post-COL adjustments. Following that were Boston and Los Angeles programs which saw a -$26,402 (-32%) and -$24,761 (-32%) mean decrease after COL adjustments, respectively. CONCLUSION: Otolaryngology residents in high-cost areas experience significant salary reductions because of COL adjustments, resulting in financial strain. Residents in such regions endure increased financial pressure compared to those in low-cost areas, as current salaries fail to align with living expenses.

Adverse events related to suction electrocautery devices in adenotonsillectomy: Analysis of the MAUDE database.

OBJECTIVE: To identify adverse events (AEs) related to suction electrocautery use during adenotonsillectomy. METHODS: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database was searched using the terms "suction cautery," "suction electrocautery," "suction Bovie," and "suction coagulator" from January 2014 to December 2023. RESULTS: 165 AE reports were gathered from the MAUDE database medical device reports (MDRs). 36 met inclusion criteria. Patient injuries were found in 22 (61.1 %) reports and device malfunction events were found in 14 (38.9 %) reports. All patient injuries were thermal burns (N = 22, 100 %). Location of burn injuries included the lip (N = 6, 27.3 %), oral commissure (N = 5, 22.7 %), and tongue (N = 4, 18.2 %). The most common cause of an AE was inadequate device insulation (N = 7, 19.4 %). CONCLUSION: The suction electrocautery apparatus may malfunction and cause patient burn injuries. Device failures mainly result from inadequate device insulation, coagulation problems, and detachment of device components. Surgeons must be aware of these potential complications and counsel parents and patients regarding AEs.

Does resident involvement in tonsillectomy affect outcomes?

OBJECTIVE: Tonsillectomy is essentially a solo surgery with a well-described complication profile. It may serve as a good benchmark to evaluate the resident-as-surgeon. This study examined complications such as post-tonsillectomy bleeding in children undergoing tonsillectomy by attending surgeons (AS) or pediatric otolaryngologist-supervised residents. METHODS: Charts were reviewed of all children aged 12 and under who had tonsillectomy +/- adenoidectomy at a children's hospital between Jan 2019 and Dec 2020. Patient age, gender, BMI, indication for surgery, surgical technique, presence of a resident surgeon, primary bleeding, secondary bleeding, treatment of bleeding, other Emergency Room (ER) visits, and clinic phone calls were recorded. Binary logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: 2051 total children (1092 (53.2 %) males and 956 (46.6 %) females) with a mean age of 6.1 years (95 % CI 6.0-6.2) were included. 1910 (93.0 %) underwent surgery for tonsillar obstruction. 1557 (75.9 %) underwent monopolar cautery tonsillectomy. 661 (32.2 %) had a resident surgeon. 274 (13.4 %) had a related ER visit within 15 days. 18 (0.9 %) had a primary bleed and 155 (7.6 %) had a secondary bleed. Binary logistic regression showed that significant predictors of postoperative ER visits were patient age (OR = 1.101, 95 % CI = 1.050-1.154, p < .001) and resident involvement (OR = 0.585, 95 % CI = 0.429-,797, p < .001). Only age was associated with overall postoperative bleeding incidence (OR = 1.131, 95 % CI = 1.068-1.197, p < .001), as well as secondary bleeding (OR = 1.128, 95 % CI = 1.063-1.197, p < .001). There were no significant predictors of primary bleeding. CONCLUSION: Resident involvement in pediatric tonsillectomy is associated with decreased postoperative ER utilization and does not appear to increase common postoperative complications including bleeding and dehydration.