Background: Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is a serious complication of thyroidectomy. The purpose of this study is to determine the predictors and consequences of RLN injury during thyroidectomy. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the ACS-NSQIP 2016e2017 main and thyroidectomy targeted procedure databases. Data was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression resulting in risk-adjusted odds ratios of RLN injury and morbidity/mortality. Results: Age 65, black race, neoplastic indication, total or subtotal thyroidectomy, concurrent neck surgery, operation time > median, hypoalbuminemia, and anemia were associated with RLN injury. Use of intraoperative nerve monitoring was associated with decreased RLN injuries. RLN injury is a risk factor for overall morbidity, hypocalcemia, hematoma, pulmonary morbidity, readmission, reoperation, and length of stay > median. Conclusion: Several predictors of RLN injury during thyroidectomy are identified, while use of intraoperative nerve monitoring was associated with a decreased risk of RLN injury. RLN injury is associated increased postoperative complications.
The patient is a 50-year-old female that underwent routine screening colonoscopy during which she was found to have a neuroendocrine tumor in the right colon. The patient underwent computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans that demonstrated metastatic disease in segments 5 and 7 of the liver. Notably, the patient was found to have an absent left portal vein. The metastatic lesions abut the right portal vein; the right portal vein also supplies the left lobe of the liver in place of an absent left portal vein. She underwent a laparoscopic-assisted right hemicolectomy to remove the primary tumor. The patient recovered uneventfully from surgery and is currently being monitored by a multidisciplinary team regarding her metastatic disease. Neuroendocrine tumors can cause long-term effects on health and ultimately death if left untreated. We present a case of metastatic midgut neuroendocrine tumor that has metastasized to the liver in a patient with absent left portal vein.
The objective of this paper is to describe the design and function of the multisplit ventilator system (MSVS); an airflow apparatus that enables physicians to provide individualized, isolated ventilation to up to four patients using a single ventilator. Method: The study design is laboratory assessment of the ability of the MSVS to decouple the pressures and resulting tidal volumes between patient limbs in response to adverse extubation (disconnection) or endotracheal tube occlusion of one of the patients in the system. We compare the airflow decoupling of the MSVS against an existing unregulated split ventilator system (USVS) design over eight prototypical patient pairs. Simulated patient prototypes of varying size, minute ventilation requirement, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) requirement were employed. Result: Respiratory support was developed for varying simulated patient pairs using the MSVS and a USVS. The results demonstrate that patients supported with the MSVS showed significantly smaller changes to tidal volume and PEEP after extubation events, and tidal volume after occlusion events. Conclusion: It was found that the MSVS as a regulated, shared ventilator system effectively buffered simulated patients from clinical changes occurring to another patient connected to the split ventilator. This decoupling ability resulted in significantly smaller changes in delivered support when compared to existing USVS designs, which is an important patient safety consideration if deciding to support multiple patients with a single ventilator.
We present the case of a patient in whom a mycotic radial artery false aneurysm developed after removal of a radial arterial line; anatomic constraints precluded simple resection and ligation of the infected artery. The patient was successfully treated nonoperatively by compression bandaging, intravenous antifungals, and serial imaging. This case represents an alternative to standard management of a mycotic aneurysm and demonstrates the importance of an individualized approach to patient care.
Ventilator sharing has been proposed as a method of increasing ventilator capacity during instances of critical shortage. We sought to assess the ability of a regulated, shared ventilator system (Multi Split Ventilator System, MSVS) to individualize support to multiple simulated patients using one ventilator. We employed simulated patients of varying size, compliance, minute ventilation requirement, and PEEP requirement. Performance tests were performed to assess the ability of the QSVS, versus control, to achieve individualized respiratory goals to clinically disparate patients sharing a single ventilator following ARDSNet guidelines. Resilience tests measured the effects of simulated adverse events occurring to one patient on another patient sharing a single ventilator. The QSVS met individual oxygenation and ventilation requirements for multiple simulated patients with a tolerance similar to a single ventilator. Abrupt endotracheal tube occlusion or extubation occurring to one patient resulted in modest, clinically tolerable changes in ventilation parameters for the remaining patients. The QSVS is a regulated, shared ventilator system capable of individualizing ventilatory support to clinically dissimilar simulated patients. It is also resilient to common adverse events. The QSVS represents a feasible option to ventilate multiple patients during a severe ventilator shortage.
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