Airway isolation by endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy impedes or even interrupts speech and swallowing. Pharyngeal and laryngeal impairment frequently occurs after extubation or de-cannulation, common consequences being dysphonia, dysphagia and the aspiration of oral secretions, food, or fluids. Aspiration often leads to pneumonia and eventually death. Although the literature reports a hi...

Ultrasound imaging of the upper airway in critically ill patients offers a number of attractive advantages compared with competitive imaging techniques or endoscopy. It is widely available, portable, repeatable, relatively inexpensive, pain-free, and safe. In this review article, I describe ultrasonographic anatomy of the upper respiratory organs and present the main potential applications of u...

The most feared complications after intracranial surgery are development of an intracranial hematoma and major cerebral edema. Both may result in cerebral hypoperfusion and brain injury. Arterial hypertension via catecholamine release or sympathetic stimulation and hypercapnia may be predisposing factors. Other systemic secondary insults to the brain such as hypoxia and hypotension may exacerba...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To establish an animal model for post-intubation laryngotracheal injuries resulting in significant laryngotracheal insult without compromising the survival of the animal for a minimum period of 12 weeks post-extubation. To study the extent of injury based on morphometric and histopathological change seen at 12 weeks post-extubation. STUDY DESIGN Randomized block, single-...

Aim: To study and investigate the efficacy of intra-cuff alkalinized lidocaine in the prevention of the endotracheal tube (ETT) induced emergence phenomena in children. Methodology: Fifty children, ages 6-12 years, ASA physical status I-II, scheduled for elective dental surgery under N2O free general anesthesia with an expected duration of 120 min or more, were randomly assigned one of the two ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify predictors of delayed endotracheal extubation defined as the need for postoperative ventilatory support after open thoracotomy for lung resection. DESIGN An observational cohort investigation. SETTING A tertiary referral center. PARTICIPANTS The study population consisted of 2,068 patients who had open thoracotomy for pneumonectomy, lobectom...