Evaluation of Airway Obstruction at Soft Palate Level in Male Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome:Dynamic 3-Dimensional CT Imaging of Upper Airway

This study examined the dynamic characteristics of upper airway collapse at soft palate level in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome（OSAHS） by using dynamic 3-Dimensional（3-D） CT imaging.A total of 41 male patients who presented with 2 of the following symptoms,i.e.,daytime sleepiness and fatigue,frequent snoring,and apnea with witness,were diagnosed as having OSAHS.They underwent full-night polysomnography and then dynamic 3-D CT imaging of the upper airway during quiet breathing and in Muller＇s maneuver.The soft palate length（SPL）,the minimal cross-sectional area of the retropalatal region（mXSA-RP）,and the vertical distance from the hard palate to the upper posterior part of the hyoid（hhL） were compared between the two breathing states.These parameters,together with hard palate length（HPL）,were also compared between mild/moderate and severe OSAHS groups.Association of these parameters with the severity of OSAHS [as reflected by apnea hypopnea index（AHI） and the lowest saturation of blood oxygen（LSaO2）] was examined.The results showed that 31 patients had severe OSAHS,and 10 mild/moderate OSAHS.All the patients had airway obstruction at soft palate level.mXSA-RP was significantly decreased and SPL remarkably increased during Muller＇s maneuver as compared with the quiet breathing state.There were no significant differences in these airway parameters（except the position of the hyoid bone） between severe and mild/moderate OSAHS groups.And no significant correlation between these airway parameters and the severity of OSAHS was found.The position of hyoid was lower in the severe OSAHS group than in the mild/moderate OSAHS group.The patients in group with body mass index（BMI）≥26 had higher collapse ratio of mXSA-RP,greater neck circumference and smaller mXSA-RP in the Muller＇s maneuver than those in group with BMI26（P0.05 for all）.It was concluded that dynamic 3-D CT imaging could dynamically show the upper airway changes at soft palate level in OSAHS patients.All the OSAHS patients had airway obstruction of various degrees at soft palate level.But no correlation was observed between the airway change at soft palate level and the severity of OSAHS.The patients in group with BMI≥26 were more likely to develop airway obstruction at soft palate level than those with BMI26.

Computed tomography-identified phenotypes of small airway obstructions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)is a heterogeneous disease characteristic of small airway inflammation,obstruction,and emphysema.It is well known that spirometry alone cannot differentiate each separate component.Computed tomography(CT)is widely used to determine the extent of emphysema and small airway involvement in COPD.Compared with the pulmonary function test,small airway CT phenotypes can accurately reflect disease severity in patients with COPD,which is conducive to improving the prognosis of this disease.CT measurement of central airway morphology has been applied in clinical,epidemiologic,and genetic investigations as an inference of the presence and severity of small airway disease.This review will focus on presenting the current knowledge and methodologies in chest CT that aid in identifying discrete COPD phenotypes.

Emergency scenario of fentanyl induced faciocervical rigidity and complete upper airway obstruction during anesthesia induction

Muscle rigidity is one of the common complications caused by fentanyl and its derivatives.1＇2 The classical clinical manifestation of opioids-induced muscle rigidity is increased truncal muscle tone,which can lead to difficult ventilation.1-3 However,faciocervical rigidity following fentanyl is rare.Here we present a rare case of face and neck rigidity following intravenous fentanyl and complete upper airway obstruction in consequence of glottic closure in a patient with co-existing vocal cord paralysis.Keywords：muscle rigidity; airway obstruction; glottic closure; vocal cord paralysis

Airway foreign bodies: A critical review for a common pediatric emergency

BACKGROUND:Airway foreign bodies(AFBs)is an interdisciplinary area between emergency medicine,pediatrics and otolaryngology.It is a life-threatening condition that is not infrequently seen;however,it is poorly covered in medical literature.Accidental aspiration of an element into airways is a widespread clinical scenario among children under 3 years,predominantly males.Moreover,it is the leading cause of infantile deaths and the fourth one among preschool children.DATA RESOURCES:A systemic search was conducted in July 2015 using Pub Med/Pub Med Central Database of The National Center for Biotechnology Information(NCBI)(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/).A total of 1 767 articles were identified and most of them were meta-analyses,systematic reviews,and case series.Those thoroughly discussing assessment and management of AFBs were retrieved.RESULTS:AFBs episodes may be either witnessed or missed.Presence of a witness for the inhalation is diagnostic.The later usually present with persistent active cough.A classical triad of paroxysmal cough,wheezing,and dyspnoea/decreased air entry was reported,though many presentations have inconsistent findings.Hence,diagnosis requires high index of clinical suspicion.Flexible fibro-optic bronchoscopy is the gold standard of diagnosis,whereas inhaled objects are best retrieved by rigid bronchoscopes.CONCLUSIONS:Close supervision of pediatrics is the hallmark of prevention.Caregivers should ensure a safe surrounding milieu,including the toys their offspring play with.Immediate complications result from direct obstruction or injury by the inhaled object.Alternatively,prolonged lodging traps air and induces inflammatory response causing atelectesis and pneumonia,respectively.

Effects of Denture Removal on Expiratory Upper Airway Patency during Mask Ventilation in Complete Denture Wearers under General Anesthesia

Background: Some anesthetized patients present with expiratory airway obstruction (EAO) during mask ventilation (MV). EAO may occur more frequently among edentulous patients for whom a firmer grip of the mask and the mandible is needed to avoid gas leakage. We compared EAO grades before and after denture removal and identified predictors of EAO during MV in edentulous patients. Methods: One hundred and eight denture-wearing edentulous patients were anesthetized, their mouths were wrapped with film, their nasal masks and mandibles were held with two hands, and their lungs were ventilated in a pressure-controlled mode. Their dentures were subsequently removed, mouths were re-wrapped, and nasal MV was reapplied. EAO was graded based on capnography waveforms as follows: Grade I, normal waveform (no obstruction);II, loss of the alveolar plateau of the waveform (partial obstruction);and III, no waveform (total obstruction). EAO grades were compared before and after denture removal. Predictive demographic variables for occurrence of total EAO were identified using a multivariate analysis. Results: The proportions of Grades I, II, and III were 43.5%, 26.9%, and 29.6% when dentures were worn and 35.2%, 15.7%, and 49.1%, respectively, when dentures were removed. A significant difference was observed in EAO grades before and after denture removal (P = 0.000034). Age ≥ 75 years (adjusted odds ratio 3.41;95% confidence interval 1.31 - 8.87;P = 0.012) and body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 (adjusted odds ratio 2.61;95% confidence interval 1.07 - 6.40;P = 0.036) were independently associated with an increased incidence of total EAO in patients with their dentures removed. Conclusion: Denture removal impaired expiratory upper airway patency in edentulous patients, particularly in older or obese patients, during MV.

婴幼儿声门下-纵隔血管瘤3例

婴幼儿血管瘤(infantile hemangioma,IH)是婴幼儿最常见的血管肿瘤疾病,发病率为4%~5%~([1]),在女性、早产、出生低体重、多胎婴幼儿中更为常见~([2])。IH是由内皮细胞异常增殖和血管增生形成的良性血管肿瘤,分布于头部、颈部和面部~([3])。纵隔血管瘤是纵隔中罕见的良性血管肿瘤,占纵隔肿瘤中0.5%。近年来,随着对治疗方案的不断探索和优化,普萘洛尔已逐渐成为公认的临床一线的治疗方案。

Urgent tracheostomy： four-year experience in a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND: Urgent airway management is one of the most important responsibilities of otolaryngologists, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Urgent surgical airway intervention is indicated when an acute airway obstruction occurs or there are intubation difficulties. In these situations, surgical tracheostomy becomes extremely important.METHODS: We retrospectively studied the patients who underwent surgical tracheostomy from 2011 to 2014 by an otolaryngologist team at the operating theater of the emergency department of a tertiary hospital. Indications, complications and clinical evolution of the patients were reviewed.RESULTS: The study included 56 patients(44 men and 12 women) with a median age of 55 years. The procedure was performed under local anesthesia in 21.4% of the patients. Two(3.6%) patients were subjected to conversion from cricothyrostomy to tracheostomy. Head and neck neoplasm was indicated in 44.6% of the patients, deep neck infection in 19.6%, and bilateral vocal fold paralysis in 10.7%. Stridor was the most frequent signal(51.8%). Of the 56 patients, 15 were transferred to another hospital. Among the other 41 patients, 21 were decannulated(average time: 4 months), and none of them were cancer patients. Complications occurred in 5(12.2%) patients: hemorrhage in 3, surgical wound infection in 1, and cervico-thoracic subcutaneous emphysema in 1. No death was related to the procedure.CONCLUSION: Urgent tracheostomy is a life-saving procedure for patients with acute airway obstruction or with diffi cult intubation. It is a safe and effective procedure, with a low complication rate, and should be performed before the patient's clinical status turns into a surgical emergency situation.

Primary intratracheal neurilemmoma in a 10-year-old girl:A case report

BACKGROUND Tracheal tumors are relatively rare in adults and uncommon in children.Tracheal neurilemmoma is a rare condition in adults that usually affects middle-aged people,but it can also occur in children.Because the clinical presentation is nonspecific and insidious,diagnosis is often delayed.The most common symptoms in these patients are stridor or wheezing(especially positional)and cough.A few patients are misdiagnosed and mistakenly treated for asthma.CASE SUMMARY A 10-year-old girl was admitted to our unit with a 2-mo history of recurrent cough,dyspnea,and tachypnea.Her condition was more severe after exercise.Her symptoms progressed despite treatment with inhaled fluticasone/salmeterol.Flexible electronic laryngoscopy showed a red,smooth,and round mushroomshaped mass in the trachea,about 1 cm below the vocal cords.The surface of the mass was covered with several small and discontinuous blood vessels.About 90%of the tracheal lumen was occupied by the mass.A multidisciplinary operation was performed.The surgically resected mass was diagnosed as benign neurilemmoma by immunohistochemical analysis.CONCLUSION Intratracheal neurilemmoma is fairly rare in children.The main symptoms include coughing,wheezing,and dyspnea.The tumor’s size,location,and degree of intratracheal and extratracheal invasion can be measured by chest computed tomography.The main treatment strategies used for tracheal neurilemmoma are surgical resection and endoscopic excision.Long-term follow-up is warranted for the evaluation of outcomes and complications.

Interventional bronchoscopic treatment of lung cancer

Interventional bronchoscopy has developed rapidly in the management of lung cancer. Besides ablativeresection of various modalities and balloon dilation/stent placement, which have been widely used in themanagement of malignant central airway obstruction, bronchoscopic brachytherapy and transbronchoscopic local injection of drugs are also developing. For early-stage peripheral lung cancer,transbronchoscopic ablation and the assisted localization of preoperative peripheral lung nodules bybronchoscopy are the new techniques. In addition, interventional bronchoscopy can manage complications related to lung cancer. Overall, interventional bronchoscopy has been an indispensable componentin the treatment of lung cancer and has vast space for development. The review summarizes the recentupdates.

Management of a Compressive Goiter at Term

Pregnant women sometimes have thyroid disease, and thus goiter;however, it does not become so large to the extent that the goiter obstructs the air way, causing respiratory symptoms. Here, we report such a case. A 27-year-old woman with large goiter presented with life threatening stridor at 37 weeks. After a multidisciplinary-team discussion, we performed caesarean section plus thyroidectomy, which resulted in good outcomes. Histological examination revealed hyperplasia and not malignancy. The postoperative course was uneventful. The mother and infant were healthy.

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on elderly Chinese patients with obstructive sleep apnea in the prethrombotic state

Objectives To characterize the prethrombotic state ( PTS) in elderly Chinese patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) ventilation on their PTS.Methods Forty-one elderly patients with moderate and severe OSAHS were enrolled into the OSAHS group and underwent nCPAP treatment. Their blood samples were drawn at 6:00 am and 4:00 pm before and during nCPAP treatment, respectively, to test hemocrit, platelet aggregation (PAG), whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma fibrinogen (fng), prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). All blood factors were also tested in a control group consisting of 32 healthy elderly Chinese with neither OSAHS nor cerebrocardiac vascular disease.Results In the OSAHS group there was a significantly higher hemocrit, WBV, fng, and a significantly shorter PT and APTT at 6:00 am compared to 4:00 pm before nCPAP treatment, while there was no significant difference among all blood test factors between 6:00 am and 4:00 pm on day 30 of the nCPAP treatment. In the OSAHS group, the hemocrit, WBV, PAG and plasma fng were significantly lower and the PT and APTT were significantly longer at 6:00 am on day 30 of the nCPAP treatment compared to 6:00 am before the nCPAP treatment. A significantly lower hemocrit, but a much longer PT and APTT were observed at 4:00 pm on day 30 of the treatment, compared with 4:00 pm before the treatment. No significant difference among the blood test factors was found between 6:00 am and 4:00 pm blood in the control group or between the control and OSAHS groups after 30 days of nCPAP treatment.Conclusion In elderly Chinese OSAHS patients, PTS could be effectively eliminated by nCPAP treatment.

Alterations in renal function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and effects of continuous positive airway pressure

Objective To assess renal function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during two nights when they were untreated and treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Methods Tubular function was estimated on the basis of the renal lithium clearance and its derived formulae, urinary osmolality, osmolal clearance and free water clearance; while glomerular function was evaluated by endogenous creatinine clearance. Twenty patients with OSAS and sixteen normal controls were studied. Results The untreated patients with OSAS had significantly lower fractional proximal tubular sodium reabsorption (59.1%±7.1%,P<0.001 vs controls), lower fractional distal tubular sodium reabsorption (93.8%±1.7%, P<0.05 vs controls) and urinary osmolality (573.0±107.9 mosm·kg 1 , P<0.05 vs controls). The absolute distal tubular reabsorption rate of sodium and osmolal clearance in the untreated patients were higher 47.0±26.0 mmol·L 1 and 25.0±4.1 ml·L 1 ; P< 0.01 and P<0.05 respectively vs controls). During CPAP treated nights all abnormal renal function indexes in the OSAS patients restored to normal control values (P>0.05). Conclusions The natriuresis and diuresis of OSAS patients were due to the decrease in proximal and distal tubular sodium reabsorption and in tubular concentration ability during their nocturnal sleep and were returned to normal by CPAP therapy.

Teaching chronic obstructive airway disease patients using a metered-dose inhaler

Asthma and chronic obstructive airway disease ,（COAD） are chronic inflammatory disorders of the airways which are usually associated with widespread airway obstruction that is often relieved by treatment. β2-adrenoreceptor agonists and corticosteriods are the mainstay of the management of this disease. The preferred route of administration of these agents is by inhalation. This allows the drug to be delivered directly to the airway with more rapid relief and fewer side effects than systemic route. The main disadvantage of metered-dose inhaler （MDI） use is that the correct use requires good technique;

The relationship between the expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 and the airway remodeling in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of trannsient receptor potential vanilloid(TRPV1)and the severity of airway remodeling in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods According to airflow obstruction severity,totally 100 cases of elderly patients with

Establishment of a Rabbit Model of Chronic Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Application in Cardiovascular Consequences

Background： Although obstructive sleep apnea （OSA） has been recognized as a major risk factor for cardiovascular complications and its clinical features are well characterized, it is difficult to replicate the OSA hypoxic model in humans. We aimed to establish an experimental rabbit model for chronic OSA and to explore its application to measure blood pressure （BP）, myocardial systolic function, and oxidative stress. Methods： The rabbit model for OSA was established by repeatedly closing the airway and then reopening it. A tube specially designed with a bag that could be alternately inflated and deflated according to a predetermined time schedule, resulting in recurrent airway occlusions and chronic intermittent hypoxia （CIH） imitating OSA patterns in humans, was used. Twenty-four rabbits were randomly divided into obstruction, sham, and control groups, and their upper airways were alternately closed for 15 s and then reopened for 105 s in a 120-s-long cycle, for 8 h each day over 12 consecutive weeks. Before and after the experiment, the BP of each rabbit was monitored. Levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the serum, superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity, malondialdehyde （MDA） and reactive oxygen species （ROS） contents, as well as Na＋-K＋-ATPase/Ca2＋-ATPase activities in cardiac muscle were examined. In addition, cardiac functional parameters were measured using echocardiography. Results： After 3 months, all rabbits in the obstruction group manifested sleepiness performance similar to that observed in OSA patients. Traces of airflow and SpO2 showed that this model mimicked the respiratory events involved in OSA, including increased respiratory effort and decreased oxygen saturation. Gradually, the BP rose each month. CIH led to obvious oxidative stress and injured myocardial systolic performance. The serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α increased significantly （64.75 ± 9.05 pg/ml vs. 147.00 ± 19.24 pg/ml and 59.38 ± 8.21 pg/ml vs. 264.75 ± 25.54 pg/ml, respectively, both P 〈 0.001）. Compared with the sham and the control groups, myocardial activities of Na＋-K＋-ATPase/Ca-2＋-ATPase and SOD in the obstruction group decreased markedly, while ROS and MDA content increased. Conclusions： These results show that the rabbit model for OSA simulates the pathophysiological characteristics of OSA in humans, which implies that this animal model is feasible and useful to study the mechanisms involved in the cardiovascular consequences of OSA.

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica： four cases

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica （TO） is a rare and benign disorder of unknown cause affecting the large airways. It is characterized by the presence of multiple osseous and cartilaginous nodules in the submucosa of the trachea and main bronchi that is characterized by the progression of submucosal bone and/or cartilage including nodules through the lumen of trachea and bronchus, We present four cases that were diagnosed TO while investigating for the causes of hemoptysis and chronic cough. We plan to emphasize TO in differential diaqnosis in proper patients.