Prophylactic antibiotics in head and neck free flap surgery: A novel protocol put to the test.

Objective: Recent evidence supports the use of ampicillin-sulbactam as a favored choice for antibiotic prophylaxis following head and neck free flap reconstructive surgery. However, there is a paucity of evidence guiding the optimal duration of antibiotic prophylaxis. The aim of this study is to compare the infection rates of short courses of ampicillin-sulbactam versus extended courses of various antibiotics in head and neck free flap reconstructive surgery.

Discharge Delay in Head and Neck Free Flap Surgery: Risk Factors and Strategies to Minimize Hospital Days.

Objective: Length of stay (LOS) includes time medically necessary in the hospital and time waiting for discharge (DC) afterward. This DC delay is determined in head and neck free flap patients. Reasons for and factors leading to DC delay, as well as associated adverse outcomes, are elucidated.

Antibiotics, steroids, and combination therapy in chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps in adults.

Despite a lack of robust data regarding their efficacy, oral antibiotics and steroids remain two of the most common treatments for chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP). We sought to objectively compare the efficacy of antibiotics and steroids, independently and in combination, for the initial treatment of CRSsNP. To that end, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 100 patients-51 men and 49 women, age 20 to 85 years (mean: 50)-who were treated for CRSsNP from January 2010 through January 2015.

Improving quality outcomes in head and neck free flap surgery with the use of a physician inpatient coordinator.

Objectives/hypothesis: Head and neck free flap patients require complex postoperative care. The quality of care for these patients often depends on their management from the time they leave the operating room. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a postoperative inpatient coordinator (IC) for head and free flap patients on quality outcomes: length of stay (LOS), 30-day unplanned return to the emergency department (30dRED), 30-day unplanned readmissions (30dUR), and complication rates.