Implementation of Above-Cuff Vocalization After Tracheostomy Is Feasible and Associated With Earlier Speech.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of hospital-wide implementation of an above-cuff vocalization (ACV) protocol using ACV-capable tracheostomy tubes and its impact on patient speech in four intensive care unit (ICU) patient populations.

Method: This research was an observational pre-post study that was conducted over a 26-month period and included 323 critically ill adult ICU patients who underwent tracheostomy in a 365-bed academic tertiary care hospital. ACV was assessed using a protocol developed by a multidisciplinary team.

Genetics of Malignant Hyperthermia: A Brief Update.

Malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS) and the associated condition malignant hyperthermia (MH) are rare but well-known disorders in the field of anesthesiology. MHS is usually determined by a history of a family member developing a positive episode during general anesthesia and then confirmed by an invasive caffeine halothane contracture test (CHCT). More recently, within the context of MH as a pharmacogenetic disorder, the question of whether or not MHS can be principally genetically determined is of high importance as knowledge of detailed pathogenesis may prevent against its largely invariable lethality if untreated.