Objectives: The topic of prescription opioid overuse remains a growing concern in the United States. Our objective is to provide insight into pain perception and opioid use based on a patient cohort undergoing common otologic and neurotologic surgeries. Study Design: Prospective observational study with patient questionnaire. Setting: Single academic medical center. Subjects and Methods: Adult patients undergoing otologic and neurotologic procedures by two fellowship trained neurotologists between June and November of 2018 were included in this study. During first postoperative follow-up, participants completed a questionnaire assessing perceived postoperative pain and its impact on quality of life, pain management techniques, and extent of prescription opioid use. Results: A total of 47 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria. The median pain score was 3 out of 10 (Interquartile Range [IQR] = 2-6) with no significant gender differences ( P = .92). Patients were prescribed a median of 15.0 (IQR = 10.0-15.0) tablets of opioid pain medication postoperatively, but only used a median of 4.0 (IQR = 1.0-11.5) tablets at the time of first follow-up. Measured quality of life areas included sleep, physical activity, work, and mood. Sleep was most commonly affected, with 69.4% of patients noting disturbances. Conclusions: This study suggests that practitioners may over-estimate the need for opioid pain medication following otologic and neurotologic surgery. It also demonstrates the need for ongoing patient education regarding opioid risks, alternatives, and measures to prevent diversion.

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Delayed presentation of tracheal injury after thyroidectomy is a rare complication. We present the case of a 24-year-old male presenting with findings of tracheal injury 12 days after total thyroidectomy. Upon surgical exploration, multifocal, transmural tracheal injuries were identified. Repair was performed with a combination of acellular dermal matrix allograft, localregional flaps, silicone stenting, and tracheostomy. Herein we also review published cases of delayed tracheal injury. Our findings suggest that delayed tracheal necrosis and rupture is an uncommon yet potentially devastating complication of thyroidectomy. Surgeons should maintain a low threshold to suspect such injuries when patients present with neck swelling and subcutaneous emphysema, even up to 40 days post-operatively. Complex injuries may require a multidisciplinary approach and an armamentarium of reconstructive techniques.

Objective(s): To evaluate complication rate and abandonment rate after tracheoesophageal puncture and to assess factors associated with these outcome measures. Methods: Retrospective review of laryngectomy patients seen at a single academic institution between 1/1/2003 and 12/1/2018. Charts reviewed for demographics, medical comorbidities, tumor characteristics, surgical data, adjuvant treatment history, and complications related to laryngectomy or tracheoesophageal puncture. Complications were divided into minor and major. Results: A total of 293 laryngectomees met inclusion criteria. Of these, 69 patients (23.5%) underwent tracheoesophageal puncture. Average follow up was 64.6 months (SD 58.3). Overall laryngectomy complication rate was 43.3%. Overall tracheoesophageal puncture complication rate was 73.9%, with 39.1% of patients having major complications and 34.8% having minor complications only. Total abandonment rate for tracheoesophageal puncture was 34.8%. No associations were seen between tracheoesophageal puncture complication or abandonment rates based on age, gender, race, or insurance status. An increased rate of laryngectomy complications was seen after primary tracheoesophageal puncture (76.5% vs 41.3%, P = .005). Conclusion: Tracheoesophageal puncture outcomes were similar in patients with varied demographic, medical, and treatment backgrounds. When considering timing, our findings suggest that patients should be counseled on the possibility of increased complication risk after primary tracheoesophageal puncture. In those in whom the surgeon already has concerns about wound healing, it may be prudent to avoid primary tracheoesophageal puncture. The relatively high abandonment rate emphasizes the value of this measure of tracheoesophageal puncture outcome and highlights the need for appropriate patient counseling and prospective studies assessing the decision to abandon.

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