BACKGROUND The Pierre Robin Sequence features were first described by Robin in 1923 and include micrognathia, glossoptosis and respiratory distress with an incidence estimated as 1:8,500 to 1:20,000 newborns. Upper airway obstruction and feeding difficulties are the main concerns related to the pathology. Mandibular distraction should be considered a treatment option (when other treatments resu...

INTRODUCTION SMA-1, also known as Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, is the most common neuromuscular disease of hypotonic newborns. Its incidence is over 1 per 8000 births and is a common cause of sudden infant death syndrome. It is characterized by the degeneration of the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord and of the motor nuclei in the lower brainstem (1). About 99% of patients have deletions in ...

Inadvertent deflation of the endotracheal tube cuff during a tracheotomy can complicate the surgical procedure, especially in a morbidly obese patient. Also, the anesthesia provider may lose control of the airway, with the inability to reintubate in case of airway edema, airway secretions, or airway fire. The use of the GlideScope video laryngoscope (Verathon Inc, Bothell, Washington) in the mo...

performing preliminary tracheotomy in certain operations involving the month, throat, or jaws, and also to describe a simple appliance which I have found from experience to be most efficient in carrying out the principles of this proceeding. All practical surgeons acknowledge the importance of this aid in suitable cases, and my attention was first seriously directed to the subject in connexion ...

Our previous study in CHEST (November 1997)1 reported that there are detectable and increased levels of cytotoxic eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in the BAL fluid of lung transplant patients with acute allograft rejection, bacterial infection, or cytomegalovirus disease, compared with well, disease-free lung transplant recipients. One possible mecha¬ nism of the activation of eosinophils duri...

Chondromas are benign cartilaginous tumours that are uncommon in the head and neck region. Only few cases of chondroma have been reported in the trachea. We present a 70-year-old patient who presented clinically with severe dyspnoea requiring urgent tracheotomy. An oval, expansive, well-delineated tracheal tumour was evident on magnetic resonance imaging. The mass was removed surgically in its ...

BACKGROUND During the past 50 years, changes in the epidemiology of infectious diseases and the capabilities of medical technology have altered the indications for, and implications of, tracheotomy in children. Given the complexity of health care that these patients subsequently require, monitoring the performance of this procedure and patient outcomes across the diverse US health care system i...