[Ex-Utero Intrapartum Treatment for airway management in congenital giant neck masses]. / Técnica EXIT como manejo de la vía aérea en masas gigantes congénitas de cuello.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital head and neck masses are associated with perinatal asphyxia and brain injury, increasing the risk of death. The EXIT (Ex Utero Intrapartum Treatment) technique con sists of ensuring the newborn's airway while is still receiving placental support. This technique has not been standardized in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical outcomes of two infants who underwent the EXIT technique. CLINICAL CASE: We present two cases, one with lymphatic malformation diagnosed at 20 weeks of gestational age (WGE) and the second one, a preterm newborn with thyromegaly and polyhydramnios, diagnosed at 35 WGE. In both cases, during the C-section, the EXIT technique was performed with a team of a neonatologist, a gyne cologist, an anesthesiologist, a pediatric surgeon, an otolaryngologist, a nurse, and a respiratory therapist. In both patients, the neonatologist achieved to secure the airway through orotracheal intubation at the first attempt. In the first case, lymphatic malformation was confirmed and re ceived sclerotherapy, and the second one was diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism which was managed with levothyroxine. The patients needed invasive mechanical ventilation for 7 and 9 days, respectively, and were discharged without respiratory complications. CONCLUSIONS: In these patients, the EXIT technique was a safe procedure, carried out without inconvenience. A multi disciplinary approach and the availability of a neonatal intensive care unit are needed to reduce potential complications and ensure postnatal management. Timely prenatal diagnosis is essential to perform this technique.

Técnica EXIT como manejo de la vía aérea en masas gigantes congénitas de cuello / Ex-Utero Intrapartum Treatment for airway management in congenital giant neck masses

Resumen: Introducción: Las masas congénitas de cabeza y cuello se asocian a asfixia perinatal e injuria cerebral con elevada mortalidad. La técnica EXIT (Ex Útero Intrapartum Treatment) consiste en asegurar la vía aérea del neonato, sin interrumpir la oxigenación y perfusión materno-fetal a través del soporte placentario. Esta técnica no ha sido estandarizada en países de medianos ingresos. Objetivo: Describir el caso clínico de 2 neonatos manejados mediante la técnica EXIT. Caso Clínico: Se reportan dos casos, uno con malformación linfática diagnosticada a la semana 20 gestación y el segundo con tiromegalia y polihidramnios diagnosticados a la semana 35 de gestación. En ambos casos, duran te la cesárea se realizó la técnica EXIT con un equipo conformado por neonatólogo, ginecólogo, anestesiólogo, cirujano pediatra, otorrinolaringólogo, enfermero y terapeuta respiratorio. En los dos pacientes se logró asegurar la vía aérea mediante intubación orotraqueal al primer intento. En el caso 1 se confirmó la malformación linfática y recibió escleroterapia, y en el caso 2 se diagnosticó hipotiroidismo congénito asociado a bocio, que fue manejado con levotiroxina. Los pacientes se mantuvieron 7 y 9 días con ventilación mecánica invasiva respectivamente y egresaron sin complicaciones respiratorias. Conclusiones: La técnica EXIT en estos casos fue un procedimiento seguro, llevado a cabo sin inconvenientes. Se necesita un equipo multidisciplinario y la disponibilidad de una unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales, con el objetivo de reducir potenciales complica ciones y garantizar el manejo postnatal. Para lograr su ejecución, es indispensable el diagnóstico prenatal oportuno.

Abstract: Introduction: Congenital head and neck masses are associated with perinatal asphyxia and brain injury, increasing the risk of death. The EXIT (Ex Utero Intrapartum Treatment) technique con sists of ensuring the newborn's airway while is still receiving placental support. This technique has not been standardized in developing countries. Objective: To describe the clinical outcomes of two infants who underwent the EXIT technique. Clinical Case: We present two cases, one with lymphatic malformation diagnosed at 20 weeks of gestational age (WGE) and the second one, a preterm newborn with thyromegaly and polyhydramnios, diagnosed at 35 WGE. In both cases, during the C-section, the EXIT technique was performed with a team of a neonatologist, a gyne cologist, an anesthesiologist, a pediatric surgeon, an otolaryngologist, a nurse, and a respiratory therapist. In both patients, the neonatologist achieved to secure the airway through orotracheal intubation at the first attempt. In the first case, lymphatic malformation was confirmed and re ceived sclerotherapy, and the second one was diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism which was managed with levothyroxine. The patients needed invasive mechanical ventilation for 7 and 9 days, respectively, and were discharged without respiratory complications. Conclusions: In these patients, the EXIT technique was a safe procedure, carried out without inconvenience. A multi disciplinary approach and the availability of a neonatal intensive care unit are needed to reduce potential complications and ensure postnatal management. Timely prenatal diagnosis is essential to perform this technique.

Placenta accreta: importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the Colombian hospital setting.

Introduction: The management of patients with placenta accreta (PA) poses a challenge to health services. Although it may lead to devastating complications, its low incidence limits the development of expertize in all obstetric centers. We evaluated the results obtained from a multidisciplinary approach in patients with PA in a Latin American hospital.Methods: The study included patients with prenatal suspicion or intraoperative diagnosis of PA, before and after initiating a set of interdisciplinary and institutional interventions, with the aim of achieving better outcomes.Results: From December 2011 to December 2017, 62 patients with prenatally or intraoperatively suspected PA underwent surgery. The first 30 women (Group A), admitted until April 2016 and before any changes in the management protocol, had a longer hospital stay and surgery time, higher newborn hospitalization, and greater use of general anesthesia, compared to the 20 patients from Group B, who were admitted during the last 20 months of the observation period. A total of 12 women with late and intraoperative diagnosis, under no institutional protocol, showed greater blood loss and more frequent red blood cell transfusions.Conclusions: The expertize of the multidisciplinary team responsible for managing women with PA is associated with better clinical outcomes.