Polysomnogram outcomes in patients with laryngomalacia and obstructive sleep apnoea treated surgically versus non-surgically.

OBJECTIVE: To compare supraglottoplasty versus non-surgical treatment in children with laryngomalacia and mild, moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea. METHODS: Patients were classified based on their obstructive apnoea hypopnoea index on initial polysomnogram, which was compared to their post-treatment polysomnogram. RESULTS: Eighteen patients underwent supraglottoplasty, and 12 patients had non-surgical treatment. The average obstructive apnoea hypopnoea index after supraglottoplasty fell by 12.68 events per hour (p = 0.0039) in the supraglottoplasty group and 3.3 events per hour (p = 0.3) in the non-surgical treatment group. Comparison of the change in obstructive apnoea hypopnoea index in the surgical versus non-surgical groups did not meet statistical significance (p = 0.09). CONCLUSION: All patients with laryngomalacia and obstructive sleep apnoea had a statistically significant improvement in obstructive apnoea hypopnoea index after supraglottoplasty irrespective of obstructive sleep apnoea severity, whereas patients who received non-surgical treatment had more variable and unpredictable results. Direct comparison of the change between the two groups did not find supraglottoplasty to be superior to non-surgical treatment. Larger prospective studies are recommended.

Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis: a systematic review of randomized and non-randomized trials.

OBJECTIVES: This article provides a comprehensive systematic review and qualitative analysis of the current research investigating Ayurveda chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) treatment. CONTENT: PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews was followed and our search utilized MEDLINE, Embase, Ayush Portal, and Cochrane Library databases. Articles published prior to March 2022, 10 or more patients that investigated Ayurveda as a treatment for CRS in humans were included. This resulted in thirteen articles meeting inclusion criteria. Ayurvedic treatments included herbal medications for oral consumption, nasal instillation, and steam inhalation used alone or in combination. All studies concluded that Ayurvedic therapy led to improvements in subjective CRS symptoms and objective radiographic and hematologic criteria. However, all 13 studies had a significant risk of bias due to study design and statistical methods utilized. SUMMARY: Ayurvedic therapy may be a useful CRS treatment for some patients and overall appears to be well tolerated. However, definitive recommendation for when Ayurvedic treatments would be beneficial in the treatment of CRS remains not possible. OUTLOOK: Given the overall positive effects shown in the current published evidence and growing interest in complementary and integrative therapies, Ayurvedic treatments for CRS deserve further investigation in the form of well-designed controlled trials.

Geographic disparities in head and neck cancer survival in Upstate New York 2011-2019.

PURPOSE: To examine the association between distance to care-center and urban-rural residence on 5-year overall survival (OS) from head and neck cancer (HNC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five-year OS was retrospectively measured from date of initial diagnosis for patients with HNC treated at a single tertiary care center. Distances were calculated based on ZIP code of patient's residence and care center. Multilevel Weibull regression was used to adjust for confounders and identify disparities in 5-year all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 670 patients included in study. Multivariable analysis revealed older age or late-stage cancer at diagnosis, and HPV negative status were associated with poorer OS. Patients residing in isolated small rural town (HR = 2.20, p = 0.015) or small rural town (HR = 2.07, p = 0.015) had lower OS. Distance to care center was not associated with OS (HR = 0.996, p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Greater rurality was associated with poorer OS among HNC patients in Upstate New York.

Association between HIV clinic caseloads and viral load suppression in New York City.

The relationship between HIV patient caseload and a clinic's ability to achieve viral load suppression (VLS) in their HIV patient population is not understood. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) administered a survey to clinics providing HIV care to people living with HIV (PLWH) in NYC in 2016. Clinics were stratified by quartiles of HIV patient caseload and dichotomized by whether ≥85% (n = 36) or <85% (n = 74) of their patients achieved VLS. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for confounders of age, sex, ethnicity, and race. Provider to patient ratios (PPR) were calculated for each clinic as staffing full time equivalents per 100 HIV patients.

Lidocaine Infusion Improves the Functionality of Intraoperative Nerve Monitoring During Thyroid Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded Study.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) to assess the recurrent laryngeal nerve function during thyroid surgery is becoming the standard of care across many institutions. The successful deployment and data analysis from the IONM require complete laryngeal relaxation and reflex suppression. We investigated the role of intravenous lidocaine infusion (IVLI) to provide such operating conditions, under a lighter plane of anesthesia and fewer hemodynamic fluctuations. METHODS: Sixty-five patients were randomly assigned to lidocaine group (LG) or placebo group (PG) based on the computer-generated coding developed by the pharmacy department. The study medication (SM) was delivered by the pharmacist in a pre-filled coded syringe to the investigator 30 min prior to the surgery. All the patients were anesthetized by narcotic and inhalation based general anesthesia. The SM was administered at the rate of 1.5mg/kg/h following a loading dose of 1 mg/kg. Dragonfly® laryngeal surface electrode and Nerveana® nerve locator system were used for IONM during surgery. RESULTS: The proportion of patients requiring lower strength stimulating current (StMC) at 0.5 mA was significantly higher in the LG than in the PG (X2 (1, N = 61) = 10.1615, P = 0.001434). Similarly, the proportion of patients with the drop in the aggregate impedance level (DAIL) by < 50% at the end of surgery was significantly higher in the LG than in the PG (X2 (1, N = 61) = 15.982, P = 0.000064). In addition, the proportion of patients with the hypotensive episodes requiring rescue medications more than twice during surgery was significantly lower in the LG than in the PG (X2 (1, N = 61) = 0.0183, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced laryngeal relaxation and the reflex suppression afforded by the IVLI could have enabled a lower StMC to elicit a positive signal. The lower StMC promotes less intense laryngeal alterations as evidenced by the lower DAIL in the LG. IVLI can enhance the functionality of the IONM during prolonged operating time and the resultant increased number of IONM stimulations, while providing a stable hemodynamic environment.

A Closer Look at Penicillin Allergy History: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Tolerance to Drug Challenge.

BACKGROUND: True allergy to penicillin is rare, despite the high frequency with which it is reported. While most patients reporting penicillin allergy are not prone to anaphylaxis, it is not currently known what percentage of these patients will tolerate dose challenges of penicillin-based antibiotics. This review aims to determine the rate of tolerance in patients reporting penicillin allergy when challenged with penicillin-based antibiotics. METHODS: We searched MedLine, Embase, and Cochrane Library for publications with English language translations between the years 2000 and 2017. We included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and observational studies of participants reporting penicillin allergy who received at least one systemic dose of a penicillin in the form of a drug challenge. At least 2 independent reviewers extracted data from included studies and assessed the quality of each included study. To generate primary outcome data, we calculated a summary estimate rate of penicillin tolerance from a pooled proportion of participants receiving penicillin with no adverse effects. RESULTS: Initial literature search yielded 2945 studies, of which 23 studies were ultimately included in our review; 5056 study participants with reported history of penicillin allergy were challenged with a penicillin. After weighting for study sample size, a pooled average of 94.4% (95% confidence interval, 93.7%-95%) of participants tolerated the dose challenge without any adverse reaction. CONCLUSION: Misrepresented penicillin allergy drives unnecessary use of alternative antibiotics, which may be less effective, more toxic, and more expensive than using penicillin. In addressing the problem of penicillin allergy over-diagnosis, evaluation should go beyond risk for type 1 hypersensitivity. Our data suggest that 94.4% of 5056 participants with reported penicillin allergy determined to be clinically appropriate for allergy evaluation tolerated repeat administration of penicillin-based antibiotics without any adverse reactions. This review generates meaningful information useful to clinical predictive analytics, in evaluating and managing patients with a reported history of penicillin allergy.

Improving the functionality of intra-operative nerve monitoring during thyroid surgery: is lidocaine an option?

Intra-operative nerve monitoring (IONM) is rapidly becoming a standard of care in many institutions across the country. In the absence of neuromuscular blocking agents to facilitate the IONM, the depth of anesthesia required to abolish the laryngo tracheal reflexes often results in profound hemodynamic instability during surgery, necessitating the use of large doses of sympathomimetic amines. The excessive alpha and beta adrenergic effects exhibited by these agents are undesirable in the presence of cardiovascular co-morbidities. Trying to strike a balance frequently results in an unsatisfactory intra-operative course. In the course of the near total thyroidectomy performed on a 60-year-old female, we employed lidocaine infusion at 1.5 mg/kg/hour following a bolus dose of 1 mg/kg. The troublesome laryngo tracheal reflexes were successfully blunted and we were able to moderate the depth of anesthesia resulting in stable hemodynamics. A bispectral index monitor was employed to guard against "recall" and a train of four monitor was used to ensure the absence of inadvertent neuromuscular blockade. During the surgery, there was loss of signal on the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). The signal strength was restored by rotating the endotracheal tube on its long axis to realign the electrode with the vocal cords under Glidescope(®) visualization.