Cerebral abscess following the self-extraction of teeth in patient with Ebstein's anomaly: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic prophylaxis before invasive treatments, including dental extractions, is still recommended for patients at high risk of infective endocarditis. However, the risk from self-extraction of teeth in daily life of patients with intellectual disabilities is uncertain. CASE PRESENTATION: A 6-year-old patient with Ebstein's anomaly developed cerebral abscess, which appeared associated with infective endocarditis of dental origin. Two weeks after self-extraction of his deciduous teeth, he began to experience pain in his ear and developed continuous fever, followed by vomiting, facial spasm, and a loss of consciousness. He was admitted into a hospital for 2 months, during which he received intravenously administered antibiotics and a drainage tube in his brain. CONCLUSIONS: Deciduous teeth can be self-extracted before root resorption and natural shedding in patients with intellectual disabilities. When they are at high risk of infective endocarditis and frequently touch mobile deciduous teeth, it seems to be an option to extract the teeth early with antibiotic prophylaxis, rather than to wait natural fall.

Factors affecting the formation of membranous substances in the palates of elderly persons requiring nursing care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the causative factor behind the formation of membranous substances in the mouths of elderly patients requiring nursing care. BACKGROUND: Membranous substances are sometimes observed in the mouths of elderly persons requiring nursing care, and these can lead to bleeding, infection and asphyxiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In April 2007, samples were collected from 70 patients at C Hospital, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, who were 65 years or older (median age, 81.1 ± 7.7 years). Sixteen of the subjects were confirmed to have a membranous substance containing a keratin degeneration product that had been derived from stratified squamous epithelium. The samples were examined microscopically, and the presence of epithelial components was confirmed through immunohistochemical staining with anti-cytokeratin-1 antibodies. RESULTS: Decision tree analysis and logistic regression suggest that the leading contributors to the formation of the membranous substances were the method of ingesting nutrients, dryness of the tongue dorsum and open mouth. These three factors are related to elderly persons requiring nursing care with impaired oral cavity function, and it was suggested that dryness of the oral mucosa was the major factor behind the membrane formation.

Effect of viscosity on food transport and swallow initiation during eating of two-phase food in normal young adults: a pilot study.

When eating food containing both liquid and solid phases (two-phase food), the liquid component frequently enters the hypopharynx before swallowing, which may increase the risk of aspiration. We therefore tested whether preswallow bolus transport and swallow initiation would change as the viscosity of two-phase food was increased. Fiberoptic endoscopy was recorded while 18 adult subjects ate 5 g of steamed rice with 3 ml of blue-dye water. Liquid viscosity was set at four levels by adding a thickening agent (0, 1, 2, and 4 wt%, respectively). We measured the timing of the leading edge of the food reaching the base of the epiglottis, as well as the location of the leading edge at swallow initiation. As viscosity increased, the leading edge of the food reached the epiglottis significantly later during chewing and was higher in the pharynx at swallow onset. The time after the leading edge reached the epiglottis did not vary among the viscosities of the two-phase food. This study found that the initial viscosity of two-phase food significantly altered oropharyngeal bolus flow and the timing of swallow initiation. Accordingly, increased two-phase food viscosity may delay food entry into the pharynx and be of use in dysphagic diets.

Effects of open mouth and rubber dam on upper airway patency and breathing.

OBJECTIVES: Rubber dams increase the quality and safety of dental treatment. However, the condition of a rubber dam over an open mouth may also obstruct the route for respiration. We tested whether an open mouth with or without a rubber dam would affect upper airway patency and breathing pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty young healthy volunteers were imaged with a magnetic resonance (MR) system under three conditions: mouth closed, mouth open, and rubber dam with mouth open. Respiration was concurrently monitored with plethysmography. MRI slices of the upper airway were obtained at 5-mm thicknesses, and the size of the cross-sectional area of the upper airway was measured by image analysis software. Respiratory cycle duration and tidal volume were also measured with digital signal analysis software. RESULTS: The volume of the upper airway became significantly decreased with the mouth open. Analysis of each cross-sectional area of the upper airway revealed that while the oropharyngeal area was significantly narrower with an open mouth, the retropalatal and hypopharyngeal areas were not affected. Placing a rubber dam had no additional influence on upper airway patency but was seen to significantly shorten mean respiratory duration and decrease tidal volume. CONCLUSIONS: Open mouth position plays the largest role in decreased upper airway patency, and open mouth position with a rubber dam may further disrupt breathing pattern. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Breathing pattern may become deteriorated by airway obstruction during dental treatments requiring a rubber dam.

[Airway obstruction after tracheostomy in a neurologically impaired child].

A 14-year-old boy neurologically impaired was scheduled for tracheostomy under general anesthesia because of the prolonged tracheal intubation. He had twice received artificial respiration under tracheal intubation for aspiration pneumonia. During emergence from anesthesia, bucking occurred and suddenly the patient's lungs could not be ventilated. Neither anesthetic circuit nor tracheostomy tube were not functioning well, and airway obstruction was not relieved by manual and positive pressure ventilation within 40 mmHg. SpO2 gradually decreased to 48%, resulting in bradicardia. However, it became possible to inflate the lungs immediately because of the respiratory effort decreased. SpO2 rapidly increased to normal range and heart rate recovered. The patient was suspected of having tracheomalacia as a result of flexible bronchoscopy performed through tracheostomy tube, revealing slight collapse of the trachea. Tracheomalacia can be a cause of sudden difficult ventilation in neurologically impaired children.