You searched for "pulmonary"

188 results found

Take a breath between mouthfuls

Pulse oximetry provides a measure of the percentage of oxygen in the blood. The usual range of readings on pulse oximetry is 97-99%. Older people may have lower pulse oximetry readings than younger people, and young women have higher readings...

Does endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis improve COPD?

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) can be associated with asthma, with a reported frequency of asthma in patients with CRS of up to 44%. COPD is another lung condition that can be associated with CRS. This longitudinal study reviewed the nasal and...

Prediction of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing thyroid or parathyroid surgery

Major postoperative adverse events in thyroid or parathyroid surgery are uncommon. Various authors have developed risk indices to identify physical deficits in patients undergoing elective surgery. The literature is less clear about patients undergoing thyroid or parathyroid surgery. In this...

Risks of tracheostomy in head and neck cancer

Tracheostomy is associated with several complications, with rates quoted as high as 8-45%, including: bleeding; displacement; obstruction; surgical emphysema; pneumothorax; fistulae and failure to decannulate. There are now many studies that confirm the increased length of stay and complications of...

The snotty child?

This article is interesting for those of us who see children regularly in secondary care but rarely see them with chronic rhinosinusitis. The authors remind the reader of the EPOS guidelines for diagnosis of CRS in children: two or more...

Recurrent ENT infections in children – is it a sign of primary immunodeficiency disease?

ENT clinicians often come across children with recurrent ear, sinus and pulmonary infections. These recurrent infections, albeit common in childhood, can represent an early sign of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD). PIDD is an underdiagnosed group of genetic disorders involving absent...

Stem cells in nasal polyposis

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is common and is multifactorial with increased T-helper 2 response and active role of interleukin 5. It can be associated with asthma and control of CRSwNP improves lower airway disease. Due to constant cellular...

Do ENT surgical patients need VTE prophylaxis?

In the UK, current NICE guidance for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention does not give specific advice about patients undergoing otolaryngology/head and neck surgery (OHNS). This systematic review provides up-to-date information based on available, although limited, evidence about the incidence of...

Smoking causes cancer – so what’s new?

You may well ask what is the novel value of a paper looking at smoking habits in patients with confirmed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but this paper highlights some pertinent points for clinical practice in the current...

Cystic fibrosis – sinus surgery delays chronic Gram-negative lung infection

This prospective clinical follow-up study is of 106 patients with cystic fibrosis in Copenhagen. Morbidity and mortality in CF are significantly associated with pulmonary colonisation and infection, usually with Gram-negative bacteria. Initially this can be well treated with antibiotics until...

Swallowing outcomes following partial laryngectomy: objective assessment and pre-operative predictive factors

Partial laryngectomy constitutes one of the treatments for early stage glottic carcinoma (i.e. T1N0 and T2N0) in specialised centres. Over the years, several partial laryngectomy and reconstruction techniques have been described in the literature. The choice of technique depends on...

Anaesthesia for free-flap surgery

Adel Hutchinson is one of those calm and controlled anaesthetists for whom nothing seems too difficult. In this article, she describes the key perioperative factors for one of the highest complexity operations in ENT; free-flap surgery. It makes good reading...