Adult airway evaluation in oral surgery

An Alternative Airway Intervention to Preserve the Surgical Field in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Background/need. Office-based sedation has become increasingly commonplace in dental offices in recent years, allowing for practitioners to provide broader scope of care for their patients. Maintaining high standards of safety is of utmost importance when sedation is utilized in the office-based setting, especially for patients deemed at a higher-risk for intraoperative airway obstruction. This demographic includes but is not limited to individuals with a medical history significant for obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and morbid obesity. Presently, a wide variety of airway devices exist for use in the event of airway obstruction. However, in the context of oral and maxillofacial surgery, placement of these devices can encroach upon the surgical field, extending the perioperative period and putting the patient at greater long-term risk for maintaining adequate oxygenation. Methodology. The authors describe a preliminary technique trialed in our offices which utilizes a size 5.0 endotracheal tube (5OET) as an adjunct supraglottic airway to help mitigate the issue of oxygen saturation maintenance, as well as unimpeded access to the oral cavity. Implementation of the device requires identifying appropriate candidates during preoperative screening and placing the device through the nare and securing it above the glottis. Device Description. The 'tube kit' is comprised of a standard size straight 5.0 cuffed oral ETT, a 5-mL syringe for inflation of the cuff post insertion, lubricant, flex extension tubing, end tidal sampling line for capnography, tape for securement of the 5OET, and an anesthesia breathing circuit. Optional equipment pieces include an elbow connecter and a foam piece for comfort. Results/Current Status. Preliminary results have demonstrated oxygen saturations maintained above 98% when the 5OET is placed preoperatively. Continued use of the trial device will inform the development of a tube by our clinicians, and its efficacy will be studied in our offices. The next steps will be to start developing a pilot cuff that will be submitted for patent approval after its use in IRB-approved clinical studies.

Immersive virtual reality (VR) training increases the self-efficacy of in-hospital healthcare providers and patient families regarding tracheostomy-related knowledge and care skills: A prospective pre-post study

BACKGROUND

Virtual reality (VR)-based simulation in hospital settings facilitates the acquisition of skills without compromising patient safety. Despite regular text-based training, a baseline survey of randomly selected healthcare providers revealed deficiencies in their knowledge, confidence, comfort, and care skills regarding tracheostomy. This prospective pre-post study compared the effectiveness of regular text- and VR-based intervention modules in training healthcare providers' self-efficacy in tracheostomy care skills.

METHODS

Between January 2018 and January 2020, 60 healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists, were enrolled. For the intervention, a newly developed head-mounted display (HMD) and web VR materials were implemented in training and clinical services. Subsequently, in-hospital healthcare providers were trained using either text or head-mounted display virtual reality (HMD-VR) materials in the regular and intervention modules, respectively. For tracheostomy care skills, preceptors directly audited the performance of trainees and provided feedback.

RESULTS

At baseline, the degree of trainees' agreement with the self-efficacy-related statements, including the aspects of familiarity, confidence, and anxiety about tracheostomy-related knowledge and care skills, were not different between the control and intervention groups. At follow-up stage, compared with the regular group, a higher percentage of intervention group' trainees reported that they are "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree" that the HMD-VR simulation increases their self-efficacy, including the aspects of familiarity and confidence, and reduced their anxiety about tracheostomy-related knowledge and care skills. After implementation, a higher degree of trainees' average satisfaction with VR-based training and VR materials was observed in the intervention group than in the regular group. Most reported that VR materials enabled accurate messaging and decreased anxiety. The increasing trend of the average written test and hands-on tracheostomy care skills scores among the intervention group trainees was significant compared to those in the regular group. The benefits of HMD-VR simulations and web-VR material-based clinical services for in-hospital healthcare providers and patient families persisted until 3 to 4 weeks later.

CONCLUSION

The current study suggests that VR materials significantly enhance trainees' self-efficacy (increased familiarity, increased confidence, and reduced anxiety) and their satisfaction with the training, while motivating them to use acquired knowledge and skills in clinical practice.

The degree of agreement between score-based decision and clinician's discretion regarding the need for tracheotomy in oral cancer surgery: A retrospective analysis

In oral cancer surgery, the decision to perform a tracheotomy is often determined by the surgeon. In this study, we investigated the competency of clinical scoring systems in identifying patients who require tracheotomy and examined the degree of agreement between the surgeon's decision and the indications of various scoring systems. We identified 110 patients who were surgically treated for oral cancer. Of these, 67 patients (44 men and 23 women) who underwent resection and reconstruction were retrospectively analyzed. To derive the score, we evaluated the endpoint of the airway management score using clinical records and images. We divided the patients into two groups based on the Cameron and Gupta scores (tracheotomy and no-tracheotomy groups) and evaluated the degree of agreement with the surgeon's decision by calculating the κ coefficient. The κ coefficients of the Gupta and Cameron scores were 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.40-0.82) and 0.60 (95% CI: 0.38-0.82), respectively. The clinical evaluation of the κ coefficient indicated that the Cameron and Gupta scores agreed fairly with the surgeon's decision. In this study, the Cameron and Gupta scores fairly agreed with the decision of experienced surgeons and were confirmed as acceptable guides for making clinical judgments.

Evaluation of Scoring Systems for Airway Management After Oral Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

Postoperative airway obstruction following oral cancer surgery is difficult to predict. Scoring systems used to assess the need for tracheotomy use risk factors as criteria. We aimed to examine whether these clinical scoring systems can predict airway obstruction following oral cancer surgery.

METHODS

We assessed 95 patients who underwent oral cancer surgery without tracheotomy under general anesthesia between January 2007 and April 2019. We reviewed multiple factors from the patients' medical records, including age, sex, tumor site, body mass index, tumor stage, type of surgery, airway management method, Cameron and Gupta scores, and postoperative airway complications.

RESULTS

Tumors were located in the maxilla (n = 14), buccal mucosa (n = 13), mandible (n = 14), floor of the mouth (n = 6), and tongue (n = 48). Twenty-seven patients (28.4%) were graded as Stage 1, 37 patients (38.9%) as Stage 2, 9 patients (9.5%) as Stage 3, and 3 (3.2%) patients as Stage 4. Nine patients (9.5%) had local recurrences, and ten patients (10.5%) had neck metastases. Postoperative oxygen administration alone failed to improve dyspnea in 4 patients (4.2%). The median Cameron scores between patients with and without airway trouble were not significantly different (P = 0.226). However, a significant difference was observed in median Gupta scores between patients with and without airway trouble (P = 0.01). We created a receiver operating characteristic curve to predict postoperative airway trouble based on the preoperative Gupta score; the area under the curve was 0.856 (95% confidence interval: 0.61-1). A Gupta score cutoff value of 3.0 had a sensitivity of 92.3% and specificity of 75.0%.

CONCLUSIONS

Screening based on the Gupta score appears to be effective in predicting postoperative airway obstruction. We propose that this screening tool can be used to better plan tracheotomy and other airway management strategies during preoperative patient assessment.

Airway management in pediatric tongue flap division for oronasal fistula closure: A case report

Oronasal fistulae (ONF) could remain after surgery in some patients with cleft palate. ONF ultimately requires intraoral surgery, which may lead to perioperative airway obstruction. Tongue flap surgery is a technique used to repair ONF. During the second surgery for performing tongue flap division, the flap transplanted from the tongue dorsum to the palate of the patient acts as an obstacle to airway management, which poses a great challenge for anesthesiologists. In particular, anesthesiologists may face difficulty in airway evaluation and patient cooperation during general anesthesia for tongue flap division surgery in pediatric patients. The authors report a case of airway management using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope during general anesthesia for tongue flap division surgery in a 6-year-old child.

Anesthesia for off-floor dental and oral surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Anesthesia for dentistry is commonly performed outside the operating room. The combination of a shared airway between surgeon and anesthetist, the variety of open airway techniques, and the out-of-operating room setting often results in anxiety and avoidance of dental cases among anesthesia personnel. This review attempts to demystify dental treatment and facilitate the anesthesia provider in providing effective sedation of dental procedures performed in the nonoperating room setting.

RECENT FINDINGS

Specific indications for dental anesthesia improve the patient selection process. Airway assessment and strategies to secure the difficult airway are paramount because of the nature of the procedures and the patients on whom they are performed. Pediatric patients and those with special needs present specific preanesthetic assessment, induction, and management challenges. Emergence delirium is disruptive, possibly dangerous, prolongs recovery time, and may necessitate hospitalization. Simplified techniques and objective recovery criteria are necessary to ensure a safe and smooth discharge to home. Airway fire precautions should not be overlooked given the rare but potential risk of airway fire during dental treatment.

SUMMARY

This article reviews the indications, facility and equipment needs, monitoring requirements, treatment methods, and recovery protocols necessary for the safe administration of off-floor anesthesia for dentistry.

Elective Tracheostomy in Head and Neck Surgery: Our Experience

INTRODUCTION

Tracheostomy is commonly used to secure the airway during the immediate postoperative period in maxillofacial oncological operations. We conducted a study to review the utility of elective tracheostomy in head and neck surgery.

AIM

To review the incidence of intraoperative, perioperative and postoperative complications and its management in elective tracheostomy and to analyse its utility in head and neck surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included review of 50 patients, who were treated for head and neck cancers in the Department of Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery of our centre between January 2011 to December 2014.

RESULTS

The study showed a male predilection with mean tracheostomy time of 25 minutes and operative time of 11 hours. The patients had an ICU stay of two days and elective ventilation of one day with mild tracheal secretion seen postoperatively. No other complications were noted intraoperatively or postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

Elective tracheostomy even though an invasive tool when used properly in selected patients, can be safe and beneficial to the patients.

Airway Assessment for Office Sedation/Anesthesia

Whenever a patient is about to receive sedation or general anesthesia, no matter what the technique, the preoperative assessment of the airway is one of the most important steps in ensuring patient safety and positive outcomes. This article, Part III in the series on airway management, is directed at the ambulatory office practice and focuses on predicting the success of advanced airway rescue techniques.

Airway Management of the Patient with Maxillofacial Trauma: Review of the Literature and Suggested Clinical Approach

According to the Advanced Trauma Life Support recommendations for managing patients with life-threatening injuries, securing the airway is the first task of a primary caregiver. Airway management of patients with maxillofacial trauma is complex and crucial because it can dictate a patient's survival. Securing the airway of patients with maxillofacial trauma is often extremely difficult because the trauma involves the patient's airway and their breathing is compromised. In these patients, mask ventilation and endotracheal intubation are anticipated to be difficult. Additionally, some of these patients may not yet have been cleared of a cervical spine injury, and all are regarded as having a full stomach and having an increased risk of regurgitation and pulmonary aspiration. The requirements of the intended maxillofacial operation may often preclude the use of an oral intubation tube, and alternative methods for securing the airway should be considered before the start of the surgery. In order to improve the clinical outcome of patients with maxillofacial trauma, cooperation between maxillofacial surgeons, anesthesiologists, and trauma specialists is needed. In this review, we discuss the complexity and difficulties of securing the airway of patients with maxillofacial trauma and present our approach for airway management of such patients.

Elective tracheostomy scoring system for severe oral disease patients

Objectives

The purpose of this research was to create a scoring system that provides comprehensive assessment of patients with oromaxillofacial cancer or odontogenic infection, and to statistically reevaluate the results in order to provide specific criteria for elective tracheostomy.

Materials and Methods

All patients that had oral cancer surgery (group A) or odontogenic infection surgery (group B) during a period of 10 years (2003 to 2013) were subgrouped according to whether or not the patient received a tracheostomy. After a random sampling (group A: total of 56, group B: total of 60), evaulation procedures were observed based on the group classifications. For group A, four factors were evaluated: TNM stage, reconstruction methods, presence of pathologic findings on chest posterior-anterior (PA), and the number of systemic diseases. Scores were given to each item based on the scoring system suggested in this research and the scores were added together. Similarly, the sum score of group B was counted using 5 categories, including infection site, C-reactive protein level on first visit, age, presence of pathologic findings on chest PA, and number of systemic diseases.

Results

The scoring system rendered from this research shows that there is a high correlation between the scores and TNM stage in oral cancer patients, or infection sites in odontogenic infection patients. However, no correlation between pathologic findings on chest PA could be found in either group. The results also indicated that for both groups, the hospital day increased with the tracheostomy score. The tracheostomy score cutoff value was 5 in oral cancer patients and 6 in odontogenic infection patients which was used for elective tracheostomy indication.

Conclusion

The elective tracheostomy score system suggested by this research is a method that considers both the surgical and general conditions of the patient, and can be very useful for managing patients with severe oral disease.