Associations of fire smoke and other pollutants with incident rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease.

Objective: Determine whether pollutants such as fire smoke-related particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM) are associated with incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and RA-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).

Methods: This case-control study used Veterans Affairs data 10/1/2009-12/31/2018.

Safety of open airway reconstruction in high-risk post-COVID patients: A case-matched control study.

Objectives: COVID-19 pneumonia patients may have high rates of intubation and reduced pulmonary function once recovered. Poor pulmonary function is a relative contraindication to open airway reconstruction, post-COVID patients may extrapolate as high-risk for open airway reconstruction. This presents challenges in airway stenosis management of post-COVID pneumonia patients.

Novel In-Office KTP Laser Treatment of Anterior Glottic Webs.

Objective: Acquired anterior glottic webs are the result of trauma, iatrogenic, radiation, or inflammation to the anterior commissure, resulting in narrowing of the airway and elevated pitch. They are very challenging to treat, and contemporary management strategies typically involve repeat procedures under general anesthesia with high rates of web recurrence. We aim to describe a novel treatment for anterior glottic webs with potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser treatment that are performed in-office under topical anesthesia.

Revisiting the etiology and clinical characteristics of hemorrhagic polyps of the vocal fold.

Objective: Benign phonotraumatic lesions of the vocal folds (BVFLs) are typically seen in younger female patients with high vocal loads. Hemorrhagic polyps (HPs) do not fit the classic paradigm of most BVFLs, as they tend to occur in an older population, have a male predominance, and report to result from a vocal accident. We present one of the largest cohorts of HPs, to reexamine their etiology and clinical features.