Bryson, Paul C.

Objective To examine the impact of increased body mass index (BMI) on (1) tracheotomy timing and (2) short‐term surgical complications requiring a return to the operating room and 30‐day mortality utilizing data from the Multi‐Institutional Study on Tracheotomy (MIST). Methods A retrospective analysis of patients from the MIST database who underwent surgical or percutaneous tracheotomy between 2013 and 2016 at eight institutions was completed. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to assess the impact of obesity on tracheotomy timing and complications. Results Among the 3369 patients who underwent tracheotomy, 41.0% were obese and 21.6% were morbidly obese. BMI was associated with higher rates of prolonged intubation prior to tracheotomy accounting for comorbidities, indication for tracheotomy, institution, and type of tracheostomy ( p = 0.001). Morbidly obese patients (BMI ≥35 kg/m 2 ) experienced a longer duration of intubation compared with patients with a normal BMI (median days intubated [IQR 25%–75%]: 11.0 days [7–17 days] versus 9.0 days [5–14 days]; p < 0.001) but did not have statistically higher rates of return to the operating room within 30 days ( p = 0.12) or mortality ( p = 0.90) on multivariable analysis. This same finding of prolonged intubation was not seen in overweight, nonobese patients when compared with normal BMI patients (median days intubated [IQR 25%–75%]: 10.0 days [6–15 days] versus 10.0 days [6–15 days]; p = 0.36). Conclusion BMI was associated with increased duration of intubation prior to tracheotomy. Although morbidly obese patients had a longer duration of intubation, there were no differences in return to the operating room or mortality within 30 days. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 134:4674–4681, 2024

ImportanceTracheotomies are frequently performed by nonotolaryngology services. The factors that determine which specialty performs the procedure are not defined in the literature but may be influenced by tracheotomy approach (open vs percutaneous) and other clinicodemographic factors.ObjectiveTo evaluate demographic and clinical characteristics associated with tracheotomies performed by otolaryngologists compared with other specialists and to differentiate those factors from factors associated with use of open vs percutaneous tracheotomy.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis multicenter, retrospective cohort study included patients aged 18 years or older who underwent a tracheotomy for cardiopulmonary failure at 1 of 8 US academic institutions between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016. Data were analyzed from September 2022 to July 2023.ExposureTracheotomy.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was factors associated with an otolaryngologist performing tracheotomy. The secondary outcome was factors associated with use of the open tracheotomy technique.ResultsA total of 2929 patients (mean [SD] age, 57.2 [17.2] years; 1751 [59.8%] male) who received a tracheotomy for cardiopulmonary failure (652 [22.3%] performed by otolaryngologists and 2277 [77.7%] by another service) were analyzed. Although 1664 of all tracheotomies (56.8%) were performed by an open approach, only 602 open tracheotomies (36.2%) were performed by otolaryngologists. Most tracheotomies performed by otolaryngologists (602 of 652 [92.3%]) used the open technique. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that self-reported Black race (odds ratio [OR], 1.89; 95% CI, 1.52-2.35), history of neck surgery (OR, 2.71; 95% CI, 2.06-3.57), antiplatelet and/or anticoagulation therapy (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.29-2.36), and morbid obesity (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.24-1.92) were associated with greater odds of an otolaryngologist performing tracheotomy. In contrast, history of neck surgery (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.96-1.92), antiplatelet and/or anticoagulation therapy (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.14), and morbid obesity (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.74-1.19) were not associated with undergoing open tracheotomy when performed by any service, and Black race (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.44-0.71) was associated with lesser odds of an open approach being used. Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index score greater than 4 was associated with greater odds of both an otolaryngologist performing tracheotomy (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03-1.53) and use of the open tracheotomy technique (OR, 1.48, 95% CI, 1.21-1.82).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, otolaryngologists were significantly more likely than other specialists to perform a tracheotomy for patients with history of neck surgery, morbid obesity, and ongoing anticoagulation therapy. These findings suggest that patients undergoing tracheotomy performed by an otolaryngologist are more likely to present with complex and challenging clinical characteristics.

Abstract The North American Airway Collaborative (NoAAC) previously published a 3‐year multi‐institutional prospective cohort study showing variation in treatment effectiveness between 3 primary surgical techniques for idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS). In this report, we update these findings to include 5 years of data evaluating treatment effectiveness. Patients in the NoAAC cohort were re‐enrolled for 2 additional years and followed using the prespecified published protocol. Consistent with prior data, prospective observation of 487 iSGS patients for 5 years showed treatment effectiveness differed by modality. Cricotracheal resection maintained the lowest rate of recurrent operation (5%), followed by endoscopic resection with adjuvant medical therapy (30%) and endoscopic dilation (50%). These data support the initial observations and continue to provide value to providers and patients navigating longitudinal decision‐making. Level of evidence: 2—prospective cohort study.

Objective: We aimed to discern clinico-demographic predictors of large (≥8) tracheostomy tube size placement, and, secondarily, to assess the effect of large tracheostomy tube size and other parameters on odds of decannulation before hospital discharge. Summary of Background Data: Factors determining choice of tracheostomy tube size are not well-characterized in the current literature, despite evidence linking large tracheostomy tube size with posttracheotomy tracheal stenosis. The effect of tracheostomy tube size on timing of decannulation is also unknown, an important consideration given reported associations between endotracheal tube size and probability of failed extubation. Methods: We collected information pertaining to patients who underwent tracheotomy at 1 of 10 U.S. health care institutions between 2010 and 2019. Tracheostomy tube size was dichotomized (≥8 and <8). Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to identify predictors of (1) large tracheostomy tube size, and (2) decannulation before hospital discharge. Results: The study included 5307 patients, including 2797 (52.7%) in the large tracheostomy cohort. Patient height (odds ratio [OR] = 1.060 per inch; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.041–1.070) and obesity (1.37; 95% CI 1.1891.579) were associated with greater odds of large tracheostomy tube; otolaryngology performing the tracheotomy was associated with significantly lower odds of large tracheostomy tube (OR = 0.155; 95% CI 0.131–0.184). Large tracheostomy tube size (OR = 1.036; 95% CI 0.885–1.213) did not affect odds of decannulation. Conclusions: Obesity was linked with increased likelihood of large tracheostomy tube size, independent of patient height. Probability of decannulation before hospital discharge is influenced by multiple patient-centric factors, but not by size of tracheostomy tube.

Objectives: To examine whether social determinants of health (SDH) factors are associated with time to diagnosis, treatment selection, and time to recurrent surgical intervention in idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) patients. Methods: Adult patients with diagnosed iSGS were recruited prospectively (2015-2017) via clinical providers as part of the North American Airway Collaborative (NoAAC) and via an online iSGS support community on Facebook. Patient-specific SDH factors included highest educational attainment (self-reported), median household income (matched from home zip code via U.S. Census data), and number of close friends (self-reported) as a measure of social support. Main outcomes of interest were time to disease diagnosis (years from symptom onset), treatment selection (endoscopic dilation [ED] vs cricotracheal resection [CTR] vs endoscopic resection with adjuvant medical therapy [ERMT]), and time to recurrent surgical intervention (number of days from initial surgical procedure) as a surrogate for disease recurrence. Results: The total 810 participants were 98.5% female, 97.2% Caucasian, and had a median age of 50 years (IQR, 43-58). The cohort had a median household income of $62 307 (IQR, $50 345-$79 773), a median of 7 close friends (IQR, 4-10), and 64.7% of patients completed college or graduate school. Education, income, and number of friends were not associated with time to diagnosis via multivariable linear regression modeling. Univariable multinominal logistic regression demonstrated an association between education and income for selecting ED versus ERMT, but no associations were noted for CTR. No associations were noted for time to recurrent surgical procedure via Kaplan Meier modeling and Cox proportional hazards regression. Conclusions: Patient education, income, and social support were not associated with time to diagnosis or time to disease recurrence. This suggests additional patient, procedure, or disease-specific factors contribute to the observed variations in iSGS surgical outcomes.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of benign vocal fold lesions (BVFLs) in patients with chronic cough over a 1‐year period.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingTertiary academic medical center.Subjects and MethodsA retrospective cohort study of patients with chronic cough seen in our tertiary multidisciplinary cough clinic from 2016 to 2017 was conducted. Patient characteristics, presence of BVFLs by laryngoscopy, and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) were recorded.ResultsA total of 419 patients were included (average age: 61 years), and 67% of patients were female. Ten percent of patients had BVFLs: granuloma (5%), leukoplakia (3%), nodules (2%), and polyps (1%). Median cough duration was 2.9 years (interquartile range [IQR], 0.7‐8.5); no significant difference in median cough duration was observed between patients with BVFLs and those with no lesions (2.6 vs 3.0 years, P =. 86). In total, 178 patients (42%) had available LCQ data: median score of 10.2 (IQR, 7.9‐13.9); no significant difference in median LCQ was observed between patients with BVFLs and those with no lesions (10.5 vs 10.1, P =. 54).ConclusionPrevalence of BVFLs in our cohort of patients with chronic cough was 10%, with posterior glottic lesions—granuloma—being the most common (5%). Prevalence of midmembranous lesions was as follows: vocal fold nodules (2%) and vocal fold polyps (1%). BVFLs were not associated with longer cough duration or more severe cough. We cannot determine a causative or noncausative relationship between BVFLs and chronic cough at this time due to lack of a control group.

Objectives/HypothesisThere are currently no established recommendations for the use of perioperative antibiotics (PAs) to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) for direct microlaryngoscopy (DML). This study examined the incidence of SSI in patients undergoing DML with and without PAs.Study DesignRetrospective, multi‐institutional chart review.MethodsA retrospective, multi‐institutional chart review was performed at four tertiary referral academic medical centers. Patients undergoing DML from 2010 to 2017 were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Medical records of patients undergoing DML with biopsy, microsurgery, laser ablation, or vocal fold injection who had adequate follow‐up were reviewed. Procedures with significant cartilage destruction, concurrent open surgery, or esophageal surgery were excluded. Data recorded included age, gender, pacemaker history, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, wound class, indication for surgery, use of laser, complications, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, pain, fever, and postoperative steroid and antibiotic prescriptions. Presence or absence of SSIs was evaluated by a fellowship‐trained laryngologist.ResultsThere were 834 patients who met inclusion criteria. Of those, 698 did not receive PAs and 136 received PAs. The median age of patients was 54 years of age in the PA group and 57.5 years of age in the non‐PA group, and all cases were recorded as wound class II. Overall, 58% of surgeries involved use of carbon dioxide or potassium‐titanyl‐phosphate laser. Only one SSI was reported on follow‐up in a patient who did receive PAs.ConclusionsSSIs are exceedingly rare following DML. PA use is not indicated for routine DML.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 128:2838–2843, 2018

ObjectivesCurrently, there are no cardiovascular (CV) preprocedure screening parameters for patients undergoing in‐office laryngeal procedures (IOLP). Studies have shown significant changes in CV measures for IOLP. The aim was to develop and evaluate a pre‐IOLP CV screening protocol.MethodsReview of IOLP literature and consultation with an anesthesiologist and cardiologist led to the development of CV parameters and questions related to four metabolic equivalents (METS) of work as a patient‐screening tool before IOLP. A separate cohort was screened with only a modified CV protocol. All patients were screened for heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) elevation prior to the procedure. Need for further CV evaluation was characterized as systolic blood pressure BP >160, diastolic BP >100, and/or HR >110 beats/minute. Patients whose BP/HR exceeded these values were referred to their primary care physician (PCP) before re‐screening. If parameters were exceeded again at the second screen, then the procedure was done under monitored anesthesia care.ResultsThe first study phase included 56 patients. The fail rate was 40% largely related to four METS of work. The second study phase included 440 patients. The screen fail rate was 15 patients of 572 (2.6%). Of these, 12 patients of 132 (9.1%) failed the initial screen and were sent to their PCP for further evaluation, and five of 440 (1.4%) patients failed on the day of the procedure. Overall, five of 440 (1.5%) patients would qualify to have their site of service changed for their laryngology procedure from an unmonitored to a monitored setting due to the prescreening criteria.ConclusionFew patients needed further workup based upon the in‐office CV parameters set in this study. Patients with CV risk factors were identified by the screening protocol. Having established hemodynamic parameters in place may improve the safety of IOLP with a very low physician burden.Level of Evidence2b Laryngoscope, 127:1845–1849, 2017

Objectives/Hypothesis Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) is a rare and potentially life‐threatening disease marked by recurrent and progressive airway obstruction frequently requiring repeated surgery to stabilize the airway. Unknown etiology and low disease prevalence have limited the ability to characterize the natural history of iSGS and resulted in variability in surgical management. It is uncertain how this variation relates to clinical outcomes. Study Design Medical record abstraction. Methods Utilizing an international, multi‐institutional collaborative, we collected retrospective data on patient characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes. We investigated variation between and within open and endoscopic treatment approaches and assessed therapeutic outcomes; specifically, disease recurrence and need for tracheostomy at last follow‐up. Results Strikingly, 479 iSGS patients across 10 participating centers were nearly exclusively female (98%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 96.1–99.6), Caucasian (95%, 95% CI, 92.2–98.8), and otherwise healthy (mean age‐adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index 1.5; 95% CI, 1.44–1.69). The patients presented at a mean age of 50 years (95% CI, 48.8–51.1). A total of 80.2% were managed endoscopically, whereas 19.8% underwent open reconstruction. Endoscopic surgery had a significantly higher rate of disease recurrence than the open approach (chi 2 = 4.09, P = 0.043). Tracheostomy was avoided in 97% of patients irrespective of surgical approach (95% CI, 94.5–99.8). Interestingly, there were outliers in rates of disease recurrence between centers using similar treatment approaches. Conclusion Idiopathic subglottic stenosis patients are surprisingly homogeneous. The heterogeneity of treatment approaches and the observed outliers in disease recurrence rates between centers raises the potential for improved clinical outcomes through a detailed understanding of the processes of care. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope , 126:1390–1396, 2016