Active Prophylactic Management of Respiratory Obstruction after Standard Thyroidectomy for Giant Goitre in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Respiratory obstruction is a lethal complication of thyroidectomy for giant goitre. Prophylactic tracheal splintage by retaining the endotracheal tube in situ for 24 h post-operatively and its meticulous management in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a safe and rewarding practice. Over a 7-year period, 33 patients, all women who had standard thyroidectomy for giant goitre were managed accordingly. There was no incidence of post-operative respiratory distress, nor mortality in the series. The average duration of stay in ICU was 2 days for all patients and the average hospital stay was 6 days for 27 of the 33 patients (81.8%). We suggest that judicious post-thyroidectomy management of giant goitre patients in ICU with endotracheal tube in situ for 24 h improves their survival chances.

Submucous dissection of the nasopharynx complicating nasotracheal intubation

“…This further supports the findings of Olurin et al who reported that the skill of thyroidectomy improved so much over the years that the incidence of postthyroidectomy tracheostomy fell from 25% to less than 3% over all. 6 In a recent report, Obekpa et al 7 reported a series of 33 patients with large or giant goitres who had prophylactic tracheal splintage by retaining the endotracheal tube in-situ for 24h. postoperatively in the ICU.…”