BACKGROUND Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) are common in intensive care units (ICU). In patients with aSAH, sedation is used as a neuroprotective measure in order to secure adequate cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). Compared with the use of an endotracheal tube, a tracheotomy has the advantage of securing the airway at a much lower level of distress, and aSAH patients c...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Home care for respiratory patients includes a complex array of services delivered in an uncontrolled setting. The role of a respiratory specialist inside the home healthcare team has been scarcely studied up to now. Our aims were to analyse the number and quality of episodic home visits performed by respiratory physicians to severe bedridden Chronic Respiratory Failure (CRF) ...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of obesity in developed countries is rising. Currently, Europe has a prevalence of 9-30% with significant impact on public health systems. Obese patients in ICUs require special management and treatment. Altered anatomy in obese patients complicates procedures such as mechanical ventilation. Obesity affects cardiopulmonary physiology and requires elevated ventilation p...

Abstract Background Submental intubation is an airway management technique wherein endotracheal tube guided through incisions in the floor of mouth and submental skin after normal orotracheal intubation. Case presentation A 20‐year‐old man with a history pharyngeal flap construction for cleft palate was planned orthognathic surgery. Preoperative nasopharyngoscopy showed that space lateral to to...

BACKGROUND CO2-laser surgery is a relatively new treatment for selected carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract. The purpose of our study was to evaluate prospectively the functional results for swallowing after CO2-laser resections. METHODS The sample was composed of 210 consecutive patients with malignancies of the larynx and hypopharynx treated with CO2 laser between February 1998 and ...

The nasogastric tube (NGT) has become a frequently used device to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms. Nasogastric tube syndrome (NTS) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of an indwelling NGT. NTS is characterized by acute upper airway obstruction due to bilateral vocal cord paralysis. We report a case of a 76-year-old man with NTS, induced by an indwelling long intesti...

Tracheal stenosis is the most common late airway complication of tracheostomy. Severe tracheal stenosis resulted in hemodynamic deterioration and impairment of respiratory system mechanics. We cared for an 86-year-old man with severe tracheal stenosis due to prolonged placement of a tracheostomy tube for 42-months. At the distal tip of the tracheostomy tube, bronchoscopy revealed severe trachea...

They are either deep, simultaneously severing the tube and the artery, or multiple in nature. As I shall state presently, a similar wound can be also produced by a determined suicidal attempt. The multiple wounds may be caused by drawing the knife across the windpipe several times parallel to each other. The cartilage thereby is cut in slices, and thus devoid of attachment, the loose pieces fal...

OBJECTIVES To assess the feasibility and safety of performing robot-assisted resections of head and neck tumors, and to predict which variables lead to successful robot-assisted resection and better functional outcome. DESIGN Prospective nonrandomized clinical trial. SETTING Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Thirty-six patients with oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, or...