Respiratory technologists in the frontlines against COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed healthcare resources globally, but especially those of resource-limited countries. Strategies to supplement the number of healthcare workers attending COVID-19 patients had to be implemented. Several institutions used non-respiratory clinicians to work in COVID-19 wards.

The prevalence of pulmonary embolism in non-hospitalised de-isolated patients diagnosed with mild COVID-19 disease.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a known complication of COVID-19 disease. The mechanism of thromboembolic events appears to be stimulated by excessive thrombin production, inhibition of fibrinolysis and deposition of antiphospholipids and thrombi, as well as microvascular dysfunction in multiple vascular beds. The occurrence of PE has been well demonstrated in hospitalised patients with severe disease.

The clinical and genetic features of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) in central South Africa-three novel pathogenic variants.

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is supposedly rare in Africa, with only three pathogenic variants documented to date. We describe the clinical and genetic features of HHT patients in central South Africa, who fulfilled the Curaçao criteria. Sixteen patients (median age 38.

Recommendations for lung cancer screening in Southern Africa.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in southern Africa. Early trials of chest radiograph-based screening in males at high risk for lung cancer found no mortality benefit of a radiograph alone, or a radiograph plus sputum cytology screening strategy. Large prospective studies, including the National Lung Screening Trial, have shown an all-cause mortality benefit when low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) was used as a screening modality in patients that are at high risk of developing lung cancer.

Could there be any merit in lumping primary open-angle glaucoma, idiopathic intracranial hypertension and Meniere's disease into a novel and discrete category of fluid tension disorders?

Open-angle glaucoma, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and Meniere's disease are disorders managed by different specialties in medicine viz. ophthalmology, neurology, and otorhinolaryngology respectively. By working in silos, the similarity of these disorders is overlooked.

Assessment of metered-dose inhaler technique: A study at the pulmonology clinic of a tertiary hospital in the Free State, South Africa.

Background: Poor pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) technique remains a challenge in the management of airway diseases.

Objectives: To assess pMDI technique among respiratory outpatients and identify the main indications for pMDI use and factors associated with improper use.

Methods: This was a prospective, quantitative descriptive study conducted at the adult respiratory clinic of Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

3D printed titanium prosthesis reconstruction following subtotal maxillectomy for myoepithelial carcinoma - a case report.

We present the case of a 43 year old male with a myoepithelial carcinoma of the hard palate who underwent a subtotal maxillectomy, resulting in a significant midfacial defect. The defect was successfully reconstructed with a titanium prosthesis using Additive Manufacturing (AM), better known as 3D printing; the process used to manufacture the prosthesis being Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). A maxillary denture was fitted onto the titanium DMLS frame post-operatively.

Can computed tomography esophagography reliably diagnose traumatic penetrating upper digestive tract injuries?

Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography (CT) esophagography in diagnosing penetrating esophageal and hypopharyngeal injuries in trauma patients and to see if it can be used as the only imaging method in diagnosing these injuries. The confidence of radiologists using only CT esophagography was also measured.

Patients And Methods: A prospective cross-sectional analytic study was done on haemodinamically stable patients requiring multidetector CT after external penetrating neck or chest trauma.

The incidence and prevalence of juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in the Free State province of South Africa and Lesotho.

Background And Objective: Although the estimated incidence and prevalence of juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP) has been determined in countries in North America and Europe and in Australia, no studies have attempted to determine the incidence or prevalence of JORRP in African countries. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence and prevalence of JORRP in the Free State province of South Africa and Lesotho.

Methods: This was a retrospective study in which the records of all patients with JORRP from the Free State province of South Africa or Lesotho treated at Universitas Academic Hospital or by otorhinolaryngologists in private practice between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2013 were reviewed.

The histology of nasopharyngeal masses: a comparison between HIV positive and HIV negative patients.

The aim of this study was to compare the histology of nasopharyngeal masses of HIV positive and HIV negative patients and to determine the prevalence of malignancy in nasopharyngeal masses in HIV positive patients. The records of all patients who had nasopharyngeal biopsies performed at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Universitas Academic Hospital between January 2006 and December 2011, were reviewed and 151 patients were identified. The HIV status of 110 of these patients was known: 78 (70.