Otolaryngology in Critical Care

Spontaneous retropharyngeal abscess presenting as delirium in a frail older woman: a case-based review

INTRODUCTION

Retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) is an uncommon infection in older people, which usually presents with localized upper airway symptoms.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present a case of RPA in a 69-year-old frail woman with co-morbidities, who presented atypically with delirium. She initially complained of general symptoms of malaise, body aches and general decline. Her symptoms progressed to hypoactive delirium before she started to localize her complaints to the upper airway. The delirium presentation of RPA is not commonly reported in the literature. Co-morbidities and frailty are likely to be the underlying risk factors for delirium presentation in this case. Most of the RPA cases reported in older people in the literature presented typically with localized symptoms, however these cases had lower burden of morbidities and reported no frailty. In our case report, poor mouth hygiene and dental caries were thought to be the source of infection. Early intervention with antibiotic treatment for total of four weeks resulted in a full recovery.

CONCLUSION

RPA may present with delirium in older people with frailty and co-morbidities. Poor oral hygiene and dental caries, if left untreated, may progress into serious deep space neck infection.

Mylohyoid Muscle: Current Understanding for Clinical Management Part II: Clinical Anatomy, Radiology, and Surgical/Clinical Relevance

The mylohyoid is one of the suprahyoid muscles along with the geniohyoid, digastric, and stylohyoid muscles that lies between the anterior belly of the digastric muscle inferiorly and the geniohyoid superiorly. In Part II, the radiology and clinical/surgical importance of the mylohyoid muscle will be discussed.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor-Induced Angioedema With Resultant Airway Obstruction Following Endotracheal Intubation

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi)-induced angioedema is a consequence of excessive levels of bradykinin and accounts for nearly a third of angioedema cases when patients present to emergency rooms. While rare, patients can present with swelling in the face, tongue, and airways making it a life-threatening emergency. To secure an airway, endotracheal intubation may be conducted; however, tracheal stenosis is a known complication. In this report, we present a 61-year-old female with a history of ACEi-induced angioedema care in which she was intubated with facial swelling. Upon a repeat hospitalization, the patient developed stridor with respiratory distress. Bronchoscopy revealed severe tracheal stenosis with multilevel damage to tracheal rings, warranting urgent tracheostomy. One month after discharge, the patient was seen by an ENT specialist who performed a transnasal laryngoscopy revealing near total subglottic and tracheal stenosis of 3 cm stenosis length, presumed secondary to traumatic intubation for prior angioedema management. This case highlights the importance of careful intubation practices in patients with suspected airway edema.

Diagnostic Dilemma: A Patient With Pulmonary Fibrosis Who Presented for Severe Tracheal Stenosis After COVID-19 Pneumonia

A 44-year-old man with pulmonary fibrosis presented to our pulmonary hypertension clinic with biphasic stridor and dyspnea. He was sent to the emergency department, where he was found to have 90% subglottic tracheal stenosis and was successfully treated with balloon dilation. Seven months prior to the presentation, he required intubation for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia complicated by hemorrhagic stroke. He was discharged after percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy, which was decannulated after three months. Our patient possessed several risk factors for tracheal stenosis, including endotracheal intubation, tracheostomy, and airway infection. Furthermore, our case is of great importance given the developing literature on COVID-19 pneumonia and its subsequent complications. Additionally, his history of interstitial lung disease may have confounded his presentation. Therefore, it is important to understand stridor, as it is an important exam finding that clinically distinguishes upper and lower airway disease. Our patient's biphasic stridor is consistent with the diagnosis of severe tracheal stenosis.

Our Experience with Laryngotracheal Trauma (LTT) in a Tertiary Care Centre of Western Rajasthan

LTT is a life-threatening incident that is fortunately rare. The presenting symptoms might not correlate with the intensity of trauma and range from mild endolaryngeal edema to complete laryngotracheal transection. An early diagnosis and timely intervention is required for successful outcomes and minimizing complications. This retrospective audit was performed on 18 patients of LTT who presented to the emergency from January 2017 to December 2019. The history, clinical presentation, examination findings, degree and nature of trauma, diagnostic modalities, medical and surgical management, and outcomes were analyzed. A total of 13 males and 5 females were included in this audit, with a mean age of 38.7 years. The most common cause was accidental in 77.7% patients. 61.5% of patients presented with Schaefer grade 3 and higher. Out of which 46% underwent emergent neck exploration and repair. 27.7% (5/18) presented with sequelae which were managed either by T- tube stenting, endoscopic dilatation by coblation, or laryngotracheal resection (LTR) and end-to-end anastomosis (EEA). Out of 14 surgically reconstructed airways, successful decannulation was achieved in 57.1% (8) patients. High clinical suspicion, early referral with emergent intervention is paramount for successful outcomes, fewer recurrences, and reduction of hospital's and patient's financial burden as timely planning and intervention can ensure successful decannulation of around two thirds of the higher grades (grade 3-5) of laryngotracheal traumatic injuries. Early airway establishment is the most critical goal. Definitive treatment protocols are needed in this field which warrants further formulation of multicentric studies and audits.

Ludwig's angina and steroid use: A narrative review

BACKGROUND

Ludwig's angina, a rapidly progressive cellulitis causing airway obstruction, has traditionally been managed with antibiotics and surgical intervention. More controversial is the use of steroids in the management of patients with this condition. This article summarizes the literature of steroid use in the management of Ludwig's angina.

METHODS

The study used a narrative review method alongside the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. PubMed, Ovid Medline, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched for cases of Ludwig's angina with documented steroid use in patient management. Inclusion criteria were articles in the English language with direct patient outcomes. There were 17 articles selected with 31 patient cases.

RESULTS

Most reports of steroid use in Ludwig's angina in the literature are case reports, with one retrospective review, and one letter to the editor. Dexamethasone was the steroid of choice in most cases reviewed. All patient cases reported used antibiotics alongside their steroid use, and 27 out of 31 patient cases required surgery. Most patients recovered with no further sequelae or complications. Three (9.68%) patients suffered mortality due to unrelated causes.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary literature reporting the use of steroids in the management of Ludwig's angina includes few cases. While the role steroids have in these cases remains uncertain, the articles summarized do not suggest an adverse influence, and may suggest a benefit.