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Introduction The COVID‐19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions to medical education. Education in medical specialties, such as otolaryngology faces multiple challenges, including reduced bedside and “hands‐on” training opportunities at all levels. Educators are turning to technological advancements to deliver effective remote medical education. This study investigated the value of enhancing traditional remote case‐based teaching with the HoloLens2™. Methods We present a randomized educational design study. All educational content, media, and learning outcomes were identical. Primary outcome measures included student performance as measured with pre‐ and post‐intervention quizzes and student engagement as measured by a tally‐mark system. Secondary outcome measures, collected using feedback questionnaires, included perceived enjoyment, engagement, and opinions regarding the educational role of this technology. Results The undergraduate medical students were randomized to either conventional or HoloLens2™ enhanced remote case‐based teaching (n = 56). HoloLens2™ enhanced teaching improved student performance by an average of 3 marks of 15% (p < 0.001). It was engaging and encouraged questions 4‐fold per session (p < 0.05) when compared to conventional remote case‐based teaching. There was no significant difference in overall objective measurements of engagement. Students taught using HoloLens2™ agreed that the teaching was enjoyable, effective in concept demonstration, and encouraged engagement. Conclusions Remote teaching has allowed for the continuation of medical education in uncertain times. Beyond COVID‐19, we predict that there will be a paradigm shift toward remote learning as new technological advancements emerges. These novel technologies may prove invaluable in the future potentially enabling education to be delivered between different hospitals, universities, and even overseas. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 133:1606–1613, 2023

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: which is the best tissue valve for use in the pulmonary position, late after previous repair of tetralogy of Fallot? Altogether 141 papers were found using the reported search, of which 13 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. In addition to this, 1 paper was found by searching the reference lists of the relevant papers. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. We conclude from the best evidence available that homograft valves function well in the pulmonary position late after Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair. This is particularly evident in the larger studies where the patients were only treated with homografts. It has been suggested that Homografts are better than xenografts and this has not been statistically shown. Two articles have suggested that xenografts outperform homografts however, in both studies these results were not statistically significant. Furthermore, early indications suggest that porcine valves may be better than bovine pericardial valves but a better longer term follow-up is certainly required to demonstrate this. It is important to realize also that when comparing the effectiveness of these valves in the pulmonary position, one cannot ignore confounding factors. The most important of these include timing of operation, age of patient, valve size, immunological factors, operative complexity and also postoperative valvular gradients. The timing of these operations has always been an area of great controversy illustrated by varied guidelines. There is no general consensus regarding whether there is even a role of pulmonary valve replacement late after TOF repair. Further weakening any conclusions that may be drawn based on current best evidence is the lack of strong follow-up data (transvalvular gradients and right ventricular (RV) volumetric data). New research is required with comparisons using objective clinical parameters in order to more effectively answer our clinical question.

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The use of supraphysiological doses of anabolic androgenic steroids can have serious side effects. This article reports the case of a young man who suffered potentially life-threatening arterial thromboses following the use of these drugs.

BackgroundParapharyngeal space biopsy is an important investigation in the management of parapharyngeal space tumours. These tumours are relatively rare and the surgeon is often faced with a wide range of differential diagnoses. There are several ways to access the parapharyngeal space, with varying degrees of associated morbidity.MethodsThis paper describes a seldom used, but a simple and safe, image-guided endoscopic approach to parapharyngeal space biopsy that enables tissue to be obtained transnasally. The procedure is conducted under general anaesthesia using computed tomography image guidance via the LandmarX system, with transnasal access to the parapharyngeal space achieved using a sampling needle.ResultsThis procedure is relatively simple, safe and reproducible. It is a less invasive approach to parapharyngeal space biopsy, and one which has been successfully used by the senior author for years without any significant morbidity.ConclusionTransnasal image-guided endoscopic aspiration or biopsy of the parapharyngeal space is a novel technique that has not been previously described.

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: What is the role of mechanical valve prostheses in pulmonary valve replacement late after tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair? Altogether more than 30 papers were found using the reported search, of which 9 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. In addition to this, two papers were found by searching the reference lists of the relevant papers. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. We conclude from the best evidence available that mechanical prosthetic valves do play a role in patients who require pulmonary valve replacement late after repair of TOF. With adequate anticoagulation, they represent a safe alternative to biological valves. Although the literature is very limited, in terms of patient numbers, many of the papers demonstrate an acceptable early mortality rate. There is significant variability in the regimes of anticoagulation in these patients, and the overall reported rate of valvar thrombosis, thromboembolic events and major haemorrhagic complications has also been variable. The overall rate of valvar thrombosis and other thromboembolic events is promising. Thrombotic events were often attributed to poor adherence to the anticoagulation regime. Conversely, 3 papers recorded no thromboembolic events during the follow-up period. Three papers recorded major haemorrhagic events during their follow-up period and concluded that these were a rare outcome. When appropriate anticoagulation is adhered to, mechanical pulmonary prostheses appear to be relatively safe in patients late after repair of TOF. We have also found that the rationale for insertion of mechanical valves in the pulmonary position late after TOF repair varies across centres is still controversial. Furthermore, their use in patients with concomitant pulmonary arterial stenoses may be less advisable as this will prevent future percutaneous interventions of the pulmonary arterial tree. More research is required to accurately compare the haemodynamic properties of mechanical valves in the pulmonary position compared with other valves. Additionally, a more consistent follow-up of these patients in terms of echocardiographic, valve-related and warfarin-related complications is needed. With this information, clearer conclusions may be drawn when considering their role.

Introduction Tonsillopharyngitis is the most common ear, nose and throat emergency admission, with 80,000 episodes recorded in England in 2015–2016. Despite this, there is a paucity of evidence addressing the supportive management of tonsillopharyngitis in inpatients. The aim of this retrospective multicentre observational study was to consider the Best Supportive Management for Adults Referred with Tonsillopharyngitis (BeSMART) in the inpatient setting, and to establish any associations between practice and outcomes. Methods Seven hospitals in North West England and North East Scotland participated in the study. Overall, 236 adult patients admitted with tonsillopharyngitis were included. The main outcome measures were interval to return to soft diet, length of stay (LOS), pain scores and readmissions. Results Women were more likely to seek professional help before presenting to secondary care (p=0.04). Patients admitted at the weekend were more likely to have a shorter LOS (p=0.03). There was no relationship between day of admission and seniority or specialty of the doctor initially seen. Prescription of corticosteroid, analgesia and a higher initial intravenous fluid infusion rate were not related to a shorter LOS. Conclusions This study is the first to yield valuable insights into the inpatient management of tonsillopharyngitis. This work represents part of an ongoing project to establish the evidence for common medical interventions for sore throat. Patient and professional surveys as well as a prospective interventional study are planned for the future.