Massive lingual swelling following cleft palate repair

Thinking Out-of-the-Box: A Non-Standard Application of Standard Pulse-Oximetry and Standard Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in a COVID-19 Patient

PURPOSE

Purpose of this report is to describe the feasibility of lingual pulse oximetry and lingual near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in a COVID-19 patient to assess lingual tissue viability after several days of mechanical ventilation in the prone position.

MATERIALS & METHODS

In a COVID-19 ICU-patient, the tongue became grotesquely swollen, hardened and protruding from the oral cavity after 20 h of mechanical ventilation uninterrupted in the prone position. To assess the doubtful viability of the tongue, pulse-oximetric hemoglobin O2-saturation (SpO2; Nellcor, OxiMax MAX-NI, Covidien, MA, USA) and NIRS-based, regional tissue O2-saturation measurements (rSO2; SenSmart, Nonin, MN, USA) were performed at the tongue.

RESULTS

At the tongue, regular pulse-oximetric waveforms with a pulse-oximetric hemoglobin O2-saturation (SpO2) of 88% were recorded, i.e. only slightly lower than the SpO2 reading at the extremities at that time (90%). Lingual NIRS-based rSO2 measurements yielded stable tissue rSO2-values of 76-78%, i.e. values expected also in other adequately perfused and oxygenated (muscle-) tissues.

CONCLUSION

Despite the alarming, clinical finding of a grotesquely swollen, rubber-hard tongue and clinical concerns on the adequacy of the tongue perfusion and oxygenation, our measurements of both arterial pulsatility (SpO2) and NIRS-based tissue oxygenation (rSO2) suggested adequate perfusion and oxygenation of the tongue, rendering non-vitality of the tongue, e.g. by lingual venous thrombosis, unlikely. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical report of lingual rSO2 measurement.

Trans-oral robotic cleft surgery (TORCS) for palate and posterior pharyngeal wall reconstruction: A feasibility study

BACKGROUND/AIM

Robot-assisted surgery has become increasingly routine, replacing open and laparoscopic techniques in certain domains, with recent extension to head and neck surgery through trans-oral access. Some advantages of the robot-assisted surgery include the ability to access confined spaces, enhanced dexterity instrumentation with intuitive movement, motion scaling, tremor elimination and three-dimensional (3D) endoscopic viewing with true depth perception. The aim of this study was to investigate the technical feasibility of trans-oral robotic cleft surgery (TORCS) to access the posterior pharyngeal wall and palate for potential use in the cleft population.

METHODS

All possible permutations of patient and robotic instrument configurations were used with the daVinci Si Surgical System® (Intuitive Surgical, USA) 0° and 30° 3D endoscopes and 8-mm training instruments to determine the optimal visualization and surgical access to the palate and posterior pharynx in a paediatric airway manikin, and to simulate posterior pharyngeal wall surgery. A full robot-assisted cadaveric Hynes pharyngoplasty was performed using 5-mm training instruments. Experiments were recorded with still and video photography.

RESULTS

TORCS is technically feasible in the paediatric cleft population. We predict a short learning curve due to the intuitive instrumentation, easier dissection and the potential to limit secondary insult compared with traditional surgery, as well as improved ergonomics for the operating surgeon.

CONCLUSIONS

The as-yet unreported use of robotic-assisted cleft palate surgery may considerably enhance a surgeon's ability to perform difficult procedures of the palate and posterior pharynx in selected patients with limited access as well as lay the foundation for potential novel techniques.