Primary subglottic malignant melanoma is a very rare and underdiagnosed neoplasm. We are reporting a case of primary malignant melanoma of subglottic mucosa in a 78-year-old woman who presented to our hospital with shortness of breath and hoarseness of voice. Laryngoscopy and excisional biopsy along with immunoreactivity to S-100 and human melanoma black-45 (HMB-45) confirmed the diagnosis. The...

Introduction The major cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the aspiration of bacteria-laden subglottic secretions past the cuff of the endotracheal tube (ETT) [1]. When the ETT cuff is inflated to the correct wall pressure, excess cuff material folds and causes involutions thereby forming channels, which allow leakage of subglottic secretions to the lungs [2]. Now, new ETT cuffs h...

Local infection of the trachea in intubated neonates is one of the main risk factors for development of acquired subglottic stenosis, although its role in the pathogenesis is unclear. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is often the cause of critical illness in neonatal patients. Two cases are reported of acquired subglottic stenosis following bacterial infection of the trachea, ...

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a common nosocomial infection that results in both negative patient outcomes and increased health care costs. Recently, many efforts have been targeted at ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention, including the practice of subglottic secretion aspiration. Six randomized control studies examining the effectiveness of subglottic secretion aspiration in the pre...

Bronchoscopically placed silicone stents are used increasingly for treating patients with tracheal stenosis due to benign or malignant airway disease. When stenosis occurs in the immediate subglottic region, however, complications of stent insertion, especially migration, are troublesome. The purpose of this report is to describe a technique of external fixation of subglottic stents that may be...

A 39-yr-old woman presented with dyspnea and cough. She had undergone total thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter 15 yr earlier, with subsequent T4 replacement therapy. Inspiratory stridor was noted. Serum TSH was 2.95 mIU/ml (normal, 0.3–4.0 mIU/ml). A magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the neck showed a subglottic tumor with severe occlusion of the trachea (Figs. 1 and 2). Direct laryngoscopy ...

PURPOSE Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a rare multisystem inflammatory disease, which infrequently involves the subglottic area and trachea. Treatment usually involves the use of immunosuppressive agents with corticosteroids. Some patients, however, continue to have symptoms of airway obstruction after clinical remission following the standard therapeutic regimen. OBJECTIVE To investigate l...

Critically ill patients are intubated or tracheostomized because, in most cases, these individuals require invasive mechanical ventilation. The cannulae that are used include the cuff, which can act as a reservoir for oropharyngeal secretions, predisposing to ventilator-associated pneumonia. Studies have revealed that the suction of subglottic secretions through the dorsal suction lumen above t...