Tracheocarotid artery fistula in a patient who had tracheostomy successfully treated with a saphenous vein graft.

Tracheoarterial fistula is a complication of tracheostomy with a high associated mortality. A 25-year-old male patient with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy underwent a percutaneous tracheostomy using the single tapered dilator (Blue Rhino) technique to facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation. Nine weeks after the procedure, he developed significant upper airway bleeding, leading to haemodynamic instability.

Long term outcomes for elderly patients after emergency intensive care admission: A cohort study.

Background: Elderly patients (≥ 80 years of age) surviving an episode of critical illness suffer long-term morbidity and risk of mortality. Identifying high risk groups could assist in informing discussions with patients and families.

Aim: To determine factors associated with long-term survival following ICU admission.

Ambulatory thyroidectomy: an anesthesiologist's perspective.

Thyroidectomy has been performed on an inpatient basis because of concerns regarding postoperative complications. These include cervical hematoma, bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and symptomatic hypocalcemia. We have reviewed the current available evidence and aimed to collate published data to generate incidence of the important complications.

Long-Term Outcome Following Tracheostomy in Critical Care: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: The prevalence and impact of longer-term outcomes following percutaneous tracheostomy, particularly tracheal stenosis, are unclear. Previous meta-analyses addressing this problem have been confounded by the low prevalence of tracheal stenosis and a limited number of studies.

Design: Embase, PubMed-Medline, and the Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials were searched to identify all prospective studies of tracheostomy insertion in the critically ill.

Short-course versus prolonged-course antibiotic therapy for hospital-acquired pneumonia in critically ill adults.

Background: Pneumonia is the most common hospital-acquired infection affecting patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, current national guidelines for the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) are several years old and the diagnosis of pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients (VAP) has been subject to considerable recent attention. The optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for HAP in the critically ill is uncertain.

Short-course versus prolonged-course antibiotic therapy for hospital-acquired pneumonia in critically ill adults.

Background: Pneumonia is the most common hospital-acquired infection affecting patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is uncertain.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of short versus prolonged-course antibiotic administration for HAP in critically ill adults, including patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

APACHE II scoring for the prediction of immediate surgical complications in head and neck cancer patients.

Background: Aggressive surgical treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers may be compromised by significant surgical complications. Early identification of patients at risk for postoperative complications may assist in clinical decision-making. The objective of this study was to assess the value of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score in predicting early postoperative surgical complications.

The relation between health-related quality of life, past medical history, and American Society of Anesthesiologists' ASA grade in patients having primary operations for oral and oropharyngeal cancer.

Pre-existing medical problems have the potential to affect postoperative survival, complications, and health-related quality of life (QoL). Our aim was to explore the relation between past medical history, American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) score, health-related QoL, and survival. We collected data from 278 consecutive patients with previously untreated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma operated on primarily from 1995 to 1999 inclusive.