Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) has become an accepted method for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), with a reported success rate as high as 77%, depending upon inclusionary and outcome criteria. The authors reviewed the records of 90 patients with moderately severe OSA (apnea plus hypopnea index [AHI] greater than 20) who underwent UPPP at either a private community or an academic hospital. Forty percent of patients experienced more than a 50% reduction in their AHI with UPPP. Only 22 (24%) of the patients had a postoperative AHI less than 50% of the preoperative AHI and less than 20, i.e., met the authors' criteria for surgical success. The success rate for community otolaryngologists was no different than that achieved in the academic institution. When data from previously published reports were analyzed using these criteria for success, similar results were observed. This study suggests that the effectiveness of UPPP performed by the general otolaryngologic community is equivalent to that reported in the literature. However, more rigorous criteria must be applied to UPPP when evaluating its results and in counseling potential candidates for this procedure.
Advance care planning (ACP) increases the likelihood that individuals who are dying receive the care that they prefer. It also reduces depression and anxiety in family members and increases family satisfaction with the process of care. Honoring Choices Minnesota is an ACP program based on the Respecting Choices model of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The objective of this report is to describe the process, which began in 2008, of implementing Honoring Choices Minnesota in a large, diverse metropolitan area. All eight large healthcare systems in the metropolitan area agreed to participate in the project, and as of April 30, 2013, the proportion of hospitalized individuals 65 and older with advance care directives in the electronic medical record was 12.1% to 65.6%. The proportion of outpatients aged 65 and older was 11.6% to 31.7%. Organizations that had sponsored recruitment initiatives had the highest proportions of records containing healthcare directives. It was concluded that it is possible to reduce redundancy by recruiting all healthcare systems in a metropolitan area to endorse the same ACP model, although significantly increasing the proportion of individuals with a healthcare directive in their medical record requires a campaign with recruitment of organizations and individuals.
As more bariatric patients with weight-associated health complications enter the health care system, a successful patient handling program must be incorporated from the outset. Preparation through staff, patient, and family education contributes to the program's success. A commitment to reducing injuries and improving the quality of care should be reflected through the use of appropriate equipment, processes, training, and work practices. An active system for handling all patients, especially the morbidly obese, is something all hospitals should strive for to reduce caregiver and patient injury.Hill-Rom Company, Batesville, Indiana.
Snoring is a significant symptom of upper airway obstruction which has not been measured and quantified in a clinically useful manner. A technique to determine acoustic level, frequency, and duration of snoring is reported. Four case studies illustrate the utility of this method. It is recommended that acoustic monitoring be included in the polysomnographic assessment of selected sleep disorder patients.
As otolaryngologists become more involved with maxillofacial trauma, we are encountering an increasing number of athletic injuries. Ice hockey accounts for a large number of these facial injuries. The fast moving and random nature of the game, frequent body and equipment contact and lack of protective devices, predisposes the hockey player to facial injury. Because of the roughly tenfold increase in hockey participation over the last decade, the problem of facial injury prevention has become a significant public health problem in North America. Review of the medical literature shows a paucity of interest in the subject of facial injury prevention in hockey. Several articles have dealt with ocular injury, while other articles have dealt with the general subject of hockey injury with only scant attention paid to the facial area. A retrospective study was carried out to more clearly define the scope of the facial injury problem. Four levels of hockey play were examined. Individuals from the youngest and most inexperienced to seasoned professionals were studied. An individually completed questionnaire was received from players in each group. It is the purpose of this paper to indicate the rates of injury for the various types of facial trauma, present their mechanisms of occurrence and discuss means of preventing facial injury in hockey players.
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