A new device for exposure of the oropharynx.
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A case is used to illustrate a method of management of three unusual problems all simultaneously appearing in the same patient. Urgent surgical intervention was necessary for a child with a bleeding disorder, but the parents religious doctrine prohibited the use of whole blood or its products. The combined efforts of the legal, medical, and allied medical professionals led to a successful resolution of the patient's multiple problems.
In 108 children (184 ears) with chronic secretory otitis treated with grommets, the condition at one-to-five years follow-up was compared with that at five-to-eight years follow-up. At the latter time, hearing was extremely good, 97.5% of the ears having a speech reception threshold (SRT) of 20 dB or less. However, only 67% of patients could be classified as cured by normal tympanometry. The remaining ears showed a negative middle-ear pressure of 100 to 300 mm H2O (25%), recurrent accumulation of secretion (1.6%), adhesive otitis (3.3%), perforation (1.7%), or cholesteatoma (1%). The eardrum was normal in 44% of patients, while in 25% it was diffusely atrophic, lax, or retracted.
The authors examined four children with substantial adenotonsillar enlargement that caused intermittent severe upper airway obstructive episodes, documented by all-night polygraphic monitoring of sleep and respirations. Previously unreported complications of severe adenotonsillar enlargement that were demonstrated included prolonged obstructive apneic episodes and disturbed sleep patterns. The children also exhibited daytime hypersomnolence. Polygraphic sleep studies after adenotonsillectomy confirmed improved sleep patterns and relief of the obstructive episodes. None of our patienqs had developed pulmonary hypertension, cor pulmonale, or other reported complications of prolonged upper airway obstruction, all of which may have been averted by early diagnosis and treatment.
In the December issue of the Archives, Nickerson et al published an article on the manpower resources of otolaryngology based on a report released in 1975. The conclusion reached by Nickerson and co-workers was that otolaryngology had a manpower pool too big for present and near future needs. This article was followed by a press release by the American Medical Association that endorsed the statements of the Archives article and in which Nickerson et al were quoted that no more otolaryngologists were needed from the training programs for some years. These statements were in sharp disagreement with the findings of the manpower studies carried out by another group in 1973-1975. Because the two surveys employed different statistical approaches, this article has been written to present the methods employed and to discuss the merits of the conclusions reached in each.
Fourteen children with adenoid and tonsillar hyperplasia were studied for one night in the sleep laboratory. Six of the children had at least 40 apneic episodes per night, mostly central or obstructive. The largest number of episodes was found in rapid eye movement sleep. Mixed episodes were the longest and central episodes the shortest. Adenotonsillectomy was performed on children with at least 40 episodes and on children with predominantly obstructive episodes. In two of these children, preoperative and postoperative recordings were taken, revealing a reduction in the total number of apneic episodes and a complete disappearance of obstructive episodes. These results suggest that polysomnographic recordings can provide useful information regarding the necessity of adenotonsillectomy.
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Tonsillectomy continues to be a commonly performed operation in the pediatric age group. The postoperative period is often protracted and characterized by throat and ear pain, intermittent fever, foul odor from the oral cavity, and poor oral intake. Consequently, antibiotics are frequently prescribed in an effort to minimize these symptoms and/or avoid complications such as dehydration or secondary infection of the operative site. However, to our knowledge, no study to date has been performed to demonstrate the efficacy of antibiotic therapy in this setting. At the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a prospective, randomized, double-blind study was undertaken in which ampicillin (or placebo) was administered intravenously at the time of surgery and for 12 to 24 hours postoperatively. The children then continued to receive oral amoxicillin therapy (or placebo) for an additional seven days. The patients were then evaluated for the incidence and severity of postoperative symptoms and complications. Intraoperative cultures of the oropharynx and tonsillar tissue, as well as cultures of the tonsillar fossa, were obtained following completion of one week of therapy. Our results indicate that ampicillin sodium/amoxicillin trihydrate therapy is well tolerated and safe in the nonallergic child and is effective in minimizing fever and other troublesome postoperative symptoms, such as pain, lassitude, mouth odor, and poor oral intake after tonsillectomy.
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Traditionally, adenotonsillectomy in children and tonsillectomy in adults have been performed as inpatient procedures. Our experience with this procedure as outpatient started in 1975 at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center. From 1975 to 1987, 1428 cases performed in Florida and Cleveland were reviewed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the technique used. Bismuth subgallate and epinephrine mixture for hemostasis is used without relying on electrocautery, ties, or suture technique to control bleeding. The incidence of immediate and delayed postoperative bleeding in a series of patients was extremely low (four [0.28%] of 1428 cases). Our technique has good hemostatic properties allowing vessels to contract and retract into the muscle of the tonsillar fossae and adenoid bed. Bismuth subgallate activates factor XII (Hageman factor) and, therefore, markedly accelerates the cascade of blood clotting. Outpatient adenotonsillectomy is safe, cost-effective, and minimizes psychologic implications, which may be an important factor, especially in children. Ambulatory adenotonsillectomy has not been well emphasized in the literature.
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A prospective, randomized, double-blind study to determine the postoperative effects of steroids in tonsillectomy was performed on 25 children from 4 to 12 years of age. A single intravenous dose of dexamethasone or a placebo was administered at onset of surgery. Other preoperative and postoperative medications, including antibiotics, anesthesia, and surgical techniques were standardized as noted in this article. The ability to return to a full or semifull diet occurred on the third and fourth postoperative days, significantly sooner in the steroid-treated patients than in the control patients. By the fifth and sixth days, the control group were eating as well as those children who received steroids. No significant differences were observed in postoperative pain, nausea, emesis, fever, or in the need for postoperative pain medications. This preliminary article concludes that a single preoperative dose of steroid results in an earlier return to a normal (full) diet in children who had undergone tonsillectomy.