Tracheotomy News and Research

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Among the oldest described surgical procedures, tracheotomy (also referred to as pharyngotomy, laryngotomy, and tracheostomy) consists of making an incision on the anterior aspect of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea.

Severity of smoke-inhalation injury may play a role in overall pulmonary inflammatory response

A study of burn patients has found that those who suffered the most severe smoke inhalation also had more inflammation and spent more time on ventilators and in intensive care.

17 Nov 2011

FDA releases new tobacco warning labels that emphasize "horror factor"

The labels, which represent the first change in these warnings in 25 years, are required under a federal law that was passed in 2009 and must be displayed on cigarette packaging and advertisements by September 2012.

23 Jun 2011

U.S. Tobacco label regulations tightened (warning graphic pictures)

Come September 2012, half of the front of all cigarette packages will have to carry graphic images of dead bodies, decaying teeth and a man exhaling smoke through a hole in his neck, the United States health officials announced on Tuesday.

22 Jun 2011

UK’s first larynx transplant

In a first, UK will get its voicebox or larynx transplant in less than a year after the Royal College of Surgeons gave its seal of approval for trials to take place. A report by the college said the pioneering procedure could help people who had cancer of the larynx to speak and breathe normally again.

19 Jun 2011

New study identifies less invasive therapy for ACE inhibitor side-effects

A new Henry Ford Hospital study takes a closer look at one of the lesser known, but potential most serious side-effects of ACE inhibitor use - facial, tongue and airway swelling - and identifies a successful and less invasive course of treatment.

29 Apr 2011

Baby Joseph’s flight to US from Canada

Baby Joseph Maraachli all of one year of age, is in a vegetative state with a severe neurological condition and will not recover, Canadian doctors say. His parents Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader, have transferred him to a US Catholic hospital after an Ontario court ruled doctors could remove a breathing tube keeping him alive. An Ontario hospital had refused his parents' request for a tracheotomy they say will prolong his life by six months and allow him to die at home. A Catholic hospital in the US city of St Louis will review his case, according to the family’s lawyer.

14 Mar 2011

31-year-old mother with Gorham-Stout syndrome goes home with virtually rebuilt spine

Laurie Harms, Los Angeles, feared she'd never hold her infant daughter, Sky, again. A devastating and extremely rare bone-eroding disease - Gorham-Stout syndrome - had left the 31-year-old crumpled in a hospital bed - her neck broken, arms limp and useless, and voice muted by tubes.

10 Dec 2010

University of Portland's school of engineering named after Bjork-Shiley heart valve inventor

University of Portland's school of engineering will now be known as the Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering in recognition of the late Donald Shiley, a 1951 graduate who was an engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist and loving husband and father. Among his many groundbreaking inventions was the Bjork-Shiley heart valve, an innovative medical device that has been credited with saving more than a half million lives.

4 Dec 2010

Music benefits patients on mechanical ventilation

The benefits of listening to music for patients on mechanical ventilation was revealed in a systematic review by a team of Cochrane researchers led by Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions associate professor Dr. Joke Bradt. The review found that listening to music may relax patients and potentially result in fewer complications.

4 Dec 2010

FDA unveils graphic anti-smoking warnings for cigarette packages

The Washington Post: "Federal health officials Wednesday unveiled plans to replace the warnings cigarette packs began carrying 25 years ago with new versions using images that could include emaciated cancer patients, diseased organs and corpses. Public health authorities and anti-smoking advocates hailed the move as a milestone in the battle against tobacco in the United States that began in 1964 when the surgeon general first declared cigarettes a public health threat.

12 Nov 2010

TransOral Robotic Surgery removes head and neck cancer tumors, while preserving speech

An incisionless robotic surgical procedure is offering patients a new option to remove certain head and neck cancer tumors without visible scarring, while preserving speech and the ability to eat.

8 Sep 2010

Reducing chronic pain, dry mouth could improve quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: Study

Head and neck cancer patients who reported poor sleep quality one year after diagnosis had more symptoms of chronic pain and complaints of dry mouth related to radiation treatments, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

12 Jul 2010

Early tracheotomy not beneficial in terms of MV duration, mortality compared to late tracheotomy

Early tracheotomy in ICU patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) did not reduce mortality when compared to later tracheotomy in a study of cardiac surgery patients requiring prolonged ventilation in a Paris study.

19 May 2010

Robotic surgery keeps features intact in head, neck cancer removal procedures

Surgeons who perform procedures to remove head and neck cancers often work for six to eight hours on what is typically major, invasive surgery, which many times comes with facial disfigurement and debilitating side effects for the patient.

13 May 2010

Early tracheotomy does not reduce risk of VAP in mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients

Adult ICU patients who received tracheotomy 6 to 8 days vs. 13 to 15 days after mechanical ventilation did not have a significant reduction in the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Apr 2010

Larynx preservation using chemotherapy followed by radiation is effective treatment: Study

Head and neck cancer patients receiving induction chemotherapy followed by radiation to preserve their larynx have a low-risk of severe voice disability and almost half experienced no eating or swallowing problems, according to a first of its kind study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by AHNS, ASCO, ASTRO and SNM.

26 Feb 2010

Dexmedetomidine can reduce pain when removing a tube from the airway of critically ill patients

A study presented at this year's American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Annual Meeting demonstrated that the use of the sedative Dexmedetomidine was safe and reduced the amount of time for the extubation process, or the process of removing a tube from the airway of critically ill patients.

26 Oct 2009

Twenty people arrested in California Medicaid fraud case

Twenty people in California were arrested on Thursday "in a $4.6-million Medi-Cal fraud scheme that law enforcement officials allege used unlicensed individuals to provide in-home nursing care for disabled patients," The Los Angeles Times reports.

12 Jul 2009

Botox effective for CHARGE Syndrome in infants

Botulinum toxin, also called Botox, is best known as one of the most commonly used molecules to reduce wrinkles.

18 Mar 2008

New robotic surgery technique appears promising for the removal of cancer in tonsils

Typically, surgeons trying to remove tonsils of patients with cancer through the mouth have limited access to the area, according to background information in the article. If the cancer has spread to any of the surrounding tissues, an open approach involving cutting through the skin is needed. These procedures take a long time, can cause long-term difficulty swallowing and usually require the placement of a tracheotomy tube.

18 Dec 2007