OBJECTIVE To evaluate a technique for correction of severe caudal septal defects. DESIGN For all patients, preoperative photographs were analyzed and subjective nasal airway patency surveys were conducted. The caudal septal defects were then repaired with the cartilage "plating" rigid fixation technique. The intraoperative findings were documented in pictorial diagrams. Postoperative photogra...

1. Patency of the upper airway is critical to respiration. Although about half of patients with the sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome obstruct their upper airway at the retropalatal level, the respiratory actions of the palatal muscles have been little studied. We have therefore tested the hypothesis that the nasopharyngeal dilator muscle palatoglossus is activated during inspiration and by negat...

The neural control of the accessory respiratory muscles regulating upper airway patency is poorly understood. This is particularly true with regard to the declines in electromyographic (EMG) activity of upper airway muscles during sleep. To specify the cellular mechanisms causing decreased upper airway muscle tone during sleep, we used an established pharmacological model of rapid eye movement ...

OBJECTIVE Chest physiotherapy enhances sputum evacuation in COPD patients. It can be applied as a single technique or as a combination of techniques including intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV). Recently developed assessment techniques may provide new insights into the effect of airway clearance techniques. PARTICIPANTS Five moderate to severe COPD patients (three females and two mal...

BACKGROUND Ludwig's angina (LA) is an infection of the submandibular space, first described by Wilhelm Frederick von Ludwig in 1836. It represents an entity difficult to manage due to the rapid progression and difficulty in maintaining airway patency, a major challenge in medical practice, resulting in asphyxia and death in 8-10% of patients. OBJECTIVE Describe a case of a patient with Ludwig...

A 66-YR-OLD male patient developed expiratory stridor shortly after decannulation. Bronchoscopy showed, at the stoma site, a large flap (fig. A and B, arrows) that moved synchronously with the respiratory cycle and obstructed more than 80% of the lumen during expiration (fig. B). The reinsertion of the tracheotomy tube trapped the flap between the tube itself and the anterior tracheal wall, and...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This article defines the indication for airway-securing measures and describes the actual state of knowledge about the available techniques. Various modes of ventilation and their rationale are presented. RECENT FINDINGS New techniques in airway management and ventilation strategy are presented, explained and evaluated. SUMMARY Respiratory failure is a major confounding fa...

THE PHARYNGEAL AIRWAY IS A complicated structure combining soft tissue and boney elements that make it prone to collapse when neuromuscular activity wanes during sleep. Anatomic structures form a pliable conduit capable of changing airway patency dynamically to support its respiratory, alimentary, and vocal functions. Respiratory function is supported by active neuromuscular and passive structu...

The research paradigm of using large laboratory animals, in which oroendotracheal intubations are relatively easy, is shifting toward the use of small animals, such as rodents, in which oropharyngeal access is limited, the arytenoid cartilage cycles are faster, and the glottis is much smaller. The considerable growth recently seen in preclinical imaging studies is accompanied by an increased nu...

Aspergillus tracheobronchitis (ATB) represents a rare disease entity accounting for 3.5% to 5.0% of cases of invasive aspergillosis. Particularly, mass-forming ATB is extremely rare, and clinical reports are limited. Given that the patency of the trachea and bronchi are essential for maintaining sufficient airflow, a central airway mass originating from an Aspergillus infection is likely to be ...