Background The study aims to conduct a review of the surgical management of carotid body tumor. Methods Consecutive patients with CBT who received surgical interventions from January 1994 to January 2014 at our institution were reviewed. Clinical, operative, pathological and follow up information were reported. Results Twenty patients (four males; median age was 36) with 21 CBT operations were recorded during the period. One patient undertook sequential operations for bilateral CBTs. Patients had 19 neck mass, 1 incidental finding and 1 facial nerve palsy. Six CBTs (28.6%) were Shamblin class I, ten (47.6%) were class II and five (23.8%) were class III. Nine CBTs had preoperative conjunctive embolization. Two operations required internal carotid artery resection and reconstruction. Four patients received subtotal resections, while 17 achieved complete resection. Complications included two major strokes, three hoarse voice and two Horner's syndrome. Shamblin class was significant predictor of operative time, blood loss, and whether complete resection accomplished, but could not predict postoperative complication. With median follow up period of 94 months, there was no tumor recurrence found in those had complete resection. Conclusions This small cohort showed that Shamblin class was significant in predicting technical difficulties but could not predict occurrence of complications.

This prospective study shows that the incidence of DVT developing after acute hip fracture in Chinese geriatric patients was low. We therefore do not recommend routine chemoprophylaxis for elderly patients with hip fracture.

BackgroundAcute myocardial infarction is a major cause of hospitalization and death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, temporal trends in the management and clinical outcomes of these patients remain unclear.Methods and ResultsWe conducted an observational study by using a representative sample of 1 million beneficiaries from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Comorbidities, in‐hospital treatment, and outcomes were compared for patients with acute myocardial infarction with and without COPD between 2004 and 2013. Temporal trends in treatment and outcomes were analyzed. We included 6770 patients admitted to hospitals with acute myocardial infarction diagnoses, of whom 1921 (28.3%) had COPD. Fewer patients with COPD received β‐blockers (adjusted odds ratio 0.66, 95% CI 0.59–0.74), angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (adjusted odds ratio 0.83, 95% CI 0.73–0.93), statins, anticoagulants, dual antiplatelets, and coronary interventions. These patients had higher mortality (in hospital: adjusted hazard ratio 1.25 [95% CI 1.11–1.41]; 1 year: adjusted hazard ratio 1.20 [95% CI 1.09–1.32]) and respiratory failure risk during admission. Temporal trends showed little improvement in mortality in patients with COPD over 10 years. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that dual antiplatelets, β‐blockers, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers, statins, coronary angiography, and coronary artery bypass grafting surgery were significantly correlated with improved mortality in patients with COPD.ConclusionsIn Taiwan, a lower proportion of patients with COPD received evidence‐based therapies for acute myocardial infarction than did patients without COPD, and their clinical outcomes were inferior. Limited improvement in mortality was observed over the preceding 10 years and is attributable to the underuse of evidence‐based treatments.