TY - JOUR
T1 - Early Intervention for the Treatment of Acute Laryngeal Injury after Intubation
AU - Lowery, Anne S.
AU - Malenke, Jordan A.
AU - Bolduan, Alyssa J.
AU - Shinn, Justin
AU - Wootten, Christopher T.
AU - Gelbard, Alexander
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Importance: Patients with laryngeal injury after endotracheal intubation often present long after initial injury with mature fibrosis compromising cricoarytenoid joint mobility and glottic function. Objective: To compare functional outcomes between early and late intervention for intubation-related laryngeal injury. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study involved 29 patients with laryngeal injury resulting from endotracheal intubation who were evaluated at a tertiary care center between May 1, 2014, and June 1, 2018. Ten patients with intubation injury to the posterior glottis who received early treatment were compared with 19 patients presenting with posterior glottic stenosis who received late treatment. Statistical analysis was performed from May 1 to July 1, 2019. Exposures: Early intervention, defined as a procedure performed 45 days or less after intubation, and late treatment, defined as an intervention performed greater than 45 days after intubation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Patient-specific and intervention-specific covariates were compared between the 2 groups, absolute differences with 95% CIs were calculated, and time to tracheostomy decannulation was compared using log-rank testing. Results: The 2 groups had similar demographic characteristics and a similar burden of comorbid disease. Ten patients who received early intervention (7 women [70%]; median age, 59.7 years [range, 31-72 years]; median, 34.7 days to presentation [IQR, 1.5-44.8 days]) were compared with 19 patients who received late intervention (11 women [58%]; median age, 53.8 years [range, 34-73 years]; median, 341.9 days to presentation [IQR, 132.7-376.3 days]). Nine of 10 patients (90%) who received early intervention and 11 of 19 patients (58%) who received late interventions were decannulated at last follow-up (absolute difference, 32%; 95% CI, -3% to 68%). Patients who received early treatment required fewer total interventions than patients with mature lesions (mean, 2.2 vs 11.5; absolute difference, 9.3; 95% CI, 6.4-12.1). In addition, none of the patients who received early treatment required an open procedure, whereas 17 patients (90%) with mature lesions required open procedures to pursue decannulation. Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that early intervention for patients with postintubation laryngeal injury was associated with a decreased duration of tracheostomy dependence, a higher rate of decannulation, and fewer surgical procedures compared with late intervention. Patients who underwent early intervention also avoided open reconstruction. These findings may bear relevance to the management of patients requiring extended durations of endotracheal intubation during recovery for critical illness related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
AB - Importance: Patients with laryngeal injury after endotracheal intubation often present long after initial injury with mature fibrosis compromising cricoarytenoid joint mobility and glottic function. Objective: To compare functional outcomes between early and late intervention for intubation-related laryngeal injury. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study involved 29 patients with laryngeal injury resulting from endotracheal intubation who were evaluated at a tertiary care center between May 1, 2014, and June 1, 2018. Ten patients with intubation injury to the posterior glottis who received early treatment were compared with 19 patients presenting with posterior glottic stenosis who received late treatment. Statistical analysis was performed from May 1 to July 1, 2019. Exposures: Early intervention, defined as a procedure performed 45 days or less after intubation, and late treatment, defined as an intervention performed greater than 45 days after intubation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Patient-specific and intervention-specific covariates were compared between the 2 groups, absolute differences with 95% CIs were calculated, and time to tracheostomy decannulation was compared using log-rank testing. Results: The 2 groups had similar demographic characteristics and a similar burden of comorbid disease. Ten patients who received early intervention (7 women [70%]; median age, 59.7 years [range, 31-72 years]; median, 34.7 days to presentation [IQR, 1.5-44.8 days]) were compared with 19 patients who received late intervention (11 women [58%]; median age, 53.8 years [range, 34-73 years]; median, 341.9 days to presentation [IQR, 132.7-376.3 days]). Nine of 10 patients (90%) who received early intervention and 11 of 19 patients (58%) who received late interventions were decannulated at last follow-up (absolute difference, 32%; 95% CI, -3% to 68%). Patients who received early treatment required fewer total interventions than patients with mature lesions (mean, 2.2 vs 11.5; absolute difference, 9.3; 95% CI, 6.4-12.1). In addition, none of the patients who received early treatment required an open procedure, whereas 17 patients (90%) with mature lesions required open procedures to pursue decannulation. Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that early intervention for patients with postintubation laryngeal injury was associated with a decreased duration of tracheostomy dependence, a higher rate of decannulation, and fewer surgical procedures compared with late intervention. Patients who underwent early intervention also avoided open reconstruction. These findings may bear relevance to the management of patients requiring extended durations of endotracheal intubation during recovery for critical illness related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
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U2 - 10.1001/jamaoto.2020.4517
DO - 10.1001/jamaoto.2020.4517
M3 - Article
C2 - 33507221
AN - SCOPUS:85100629481
SN - 2168-6181
VL - 147
SP - 232
EP - 237
JO - JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
JF - JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
IS - 3
ER -