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The stay‐suture technique (SST) helps ensure safe replacement of the tracheostomy tube after accidental decannulation. We describe a patient found to have a retained stay suture in the glottis 2 weeks post‐decannulation. It is important to appreciate the possible complications associated with SST, including airway compromise, infection, and laryngospasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The stay‐suture technique (SST) helps ensure safe replacement of the tracheostomy tube after accidental decannulation. We describe a patient found to have a retained stay suture in the glottis 2 weeks post‐decannulation. It is important to appreciate the possible complications associated with SST, including airway compromise, infection, and laryngospasm.

Objectives: To create awareness about a surgical technique termed bridge suture, which is performed as a pretreatment before a McDonald cerclage is performed on an emergency to treat severe cervical insufficiency.Methods: Procedures for bridge suture were reviewed in detail and outcomes of 16 patients treated with bridge suture followed by McDonald cerclage were evaluated retrospectively.Results: Using the bridge suture, the edges of uterine cervix were temporarily sutured and the external uterine os was closed, while the hourglass-shaped fetal membranes were concomitantly confined within the cervix; subsequently, a McDonald cerclage was performed. Over a 22-year period, 16 patients with a dilated cervix and bulging fetal membranes were treated using the technique of bridge suture followed by an emergency cerclage. The mean gestational age at cerclage was 22.5 weeks; the mean gestational age at delivery was 30.7 weeks; and the mean interval between cerclage and delivery was 8.2 weeks. In 15 out of 16 cases, cerclage was performed without encountering any complications. No maternal complications, including cervical laceration, were observed. The mean body weight of 17 neonates, including that of a twin, was 1,516 g and of them, 15 neonates survived.Conclusion: The important outcome of bridge suture is the replacement of fetal membranes back into the uterine cavity before McDonald's cerclage is performed. Pretreatment with bridge suture may facilitate the performance of a successful emergency cerclage and contribute to good maternal and neonatal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urgent awake tracheotomies (UATs) in adults in a reference center. Methodology During the pandemic (between March 2020 and May 2022) and before the pandemic (between January 2018 and March 2020), medical charts of patients who underwent UATs were reviewed. The analysis focused on demographic characteristics, indications, COVID-19 positivity status, surgical procedures, and complications. Results During the pandemic, 67 UATs (age 62.04 ± 11.9 years) were performed. Of the indications, 56 (83.5%) were malignancy. Before the pandemic, 22 UATs (age 63.86 ± 15.1 years) were performed, of which 14 UATs (63.6%) were due to malignancy. There was a significant increase in UATs and their indications in patients with head and neck malignancies ( P  < 0.05). Stay suture (65, 97%) and suture ligation of the thyroidal isthmus (61, 91%) were significantly performed during the pandemic ( P  < 0.05). Conclusions A significant increase in UAT was detected, especially in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Pandemic conditions and the risk of viral transmission have led to more conservative UAT techniques., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Yagiz Agayarov et al.)

Background: Congenital fibrosis of extraocular muscles (CFEOM) is a rare group of disorders with variable phenotypes that result from aberrant innervation to the EOMs leading to synergistic vertical and/or horizontal deviations. We report our experience with the surgical management of patients with CFEOM. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the clinical findings, the surgical management, and outcomes of 52 consecutive CFEOM patients operated by one surgeon at a university hospital setting between 1993 and 2014. Patients were divided into CFEOM1, 2, or 3 based on clinical and/or molecular genetic findings. Results: Thirty-seven (71.2%) cases were bilateral and 15 (28.8%) were unilateral. Six of the bilateral cases had CFEOM2, and the rest of the patients had either CFEOM1 or CFEOM3. The median age at the first surgery was 10 (1-43) years. Twenty-five were females and 27 were males. Nineteen patients had previous strabismus and/or ptosis surgeries elsewhere. The mean number of operations at our center was 1.6 ± 0.7 (1-4). A temporary stay suture was used in eight patients and permanently in seven. Of the 40 patients with abnormal head position, 18 achieved excellent, 15 good, and seven poor outcomes and ocular alignment in primary position following the latest surgery was excellent in 19, good in 18, and poor in 14 of the patients, as defined in the 'Methods' section of the paper. Conclusions: Although patients with CFEOM present significant strabismus surgical challenges because of EOM dysinnervation, fibrosis, and/or heterotopia, satisfactory alignment and improvement of the head posture can be attained in a significant proportion of patients using an individually tailored surgical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on technical modifications we developed for thoracoscopic esophagoesophagostomy in patients with esophageal atresia. They are: (1) placing stay sutures along the edges of the atretic esophagi and exteriorizing them through the thoracic wall to expose the luminal surfaces of the esophagi nicely and relieve tension on the anastomosis; (2) leaving 1/5 of the length of the distal and proximal ends of the atretic esophagi intact before placing the stay sutures, to avoid retraction of the mucosa into the lumen; (3) making the diameter of the proximal esophagus 1.5-2 times larger than the diameter of the distal esophagus to make the shape of the anastomosis more streamlined without notching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]