OBJECTIVES This study was performed to evaluate the frequency and risk factors associated with new aortal lesions induced by surgical manipulation and their correlation with postoperative stroke. BACKGROUND Little is known about the causative mechanism of intraoperative atheroembolism after cardiac surgery. METHODS Epiaortic echocardiography was performed before cannulation and after decann...

The incidence, aetiology and long term outcomes of laryngotracheal complications secondary to Tracheostomy insertion in patients ventilated for COVID-19 critical Illness are currently unknown. We report a single case from our institutional series who developed early subglottic stenosis subsequent traceomalacia preventing permanent tracheostomy removal despite three decannulation attempts. consi...

Abstract This paper examines factors affecting happiness using panel data concerning 58 countries during 2003-2011. Happiness data come in the form of answers to questions such as "How happy are you as a whole in your life?" and the answers range from 1 to 5transformed to obtain a 1-10 scale. Macroeconomics data are from MIT and World Bank 2012 tables. Including 215 total pool observations indi...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE High-intensity transient signals (HITS) are the transcranial Doppler representation of both air and solid cerebral emboli. We studied the frequency of HITS associated with different surgical maneuvers during cardiopulmonary bypass for coronary artery bypass graft surgery and their association with postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). METHODS We combined 356 patie...

Tracheostomy is a common surgical procedure, and is increasingly performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) as opposed to the operating room. Procedural knowledge is essential and is therefore outlined in this review. We also review several high-quality studies comparing percutaneous dilational tracheostomy and open surgical tracheostomy. The percutaneous method has a comparable, if not superio...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To evaluate the clinical value of polysomnography in patients with a tracheotomy due to chronic upper airway obstruction prior to attempting decannulation. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review. METHODS Subjects with chronic upper airway obstruction were identified using a clinical database between 2000 and 2014. All subjects had a tracheotomy, were assessed by the s...

OBJECTIVES When the T-tube is inserted as a temporary stent, it is unclear whether keeping it longer in place has any benefit on the outcome. METHODS Among 1738 patients with airway stenosis (1996-2011), 134 underwent T-tube placement (mean duration = 14.3 months); temporarily while waiting for an appropriate time for surgery in 53 (Group 1), as an adjunct after a complex laryngotracheal rese...

BACKGROUND In the past decade, the rate and utilization of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) has increased dramatically. A single catheter technique has recently come into favour for providing VV-ECMO. Although it has been shown that intensivists can safely place these catheters, the safety of decannulation by intensivists has not been reported in the literature. OBJEC...

BACKGROUND Multidisciplinary tracheostomy teams have been successful in improving operative outcomes; however, limited data exist on their effect on postoperative care. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary tracheostomy service alone and following implementation of a post-tracheostomy care bundle on rates of decannulation and tolerance of oral diet before discharge. M...