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BMJ Clinical Evidence Sep 2014Croup is characterised by the abrupt onset, most commonly at night, of a barking cough, inspiratory stridor, hoarseness, and respiratory distress due to upper airway... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Croup is characterised by the abrupt onset, most commonly at night, of a barking cough, inspiratory stridor, hoarseness, and respiratory distress due to upper airway obstruction. It leads to signs of upper airway obstruction, and must be differentiated from acute epiglottitis, bacterial tracheitis, or an inhaled foreign body. Croup affects about 3% of children per year, usually between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, and 75% of infections are caused by parainfluenza virus. Symptoms usually resolve within 48 hours, but severe upper airway obstruction can, rarely, lead to respiratory failure and arrest.
METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of treatments in children with mild croup and moderate to severe croup? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to November 2013 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
RESULTS
We found 19 studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: corticosteroids (dexamethasone, intramuscular and oral), nebulised budesonide, oral prednisolone, heliox, humidification, and nebulised adrenaline (racemate and L-adrenaline [ephinephrine]).
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Budesonide; Cough; Croup; Epinephrine; Helium; Humans; Humidity; Oxygen; Prednisolone
PubMed: 25263284
DOI: No ID Found -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2015Acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), including the common cold and rhinosinusitis, are common afflictions that cause discomfort and debilitation and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), including the common cold and rhinosinusitis, are common afflictions that cause discomfort and debilitation and contribute significantly to workplace absenteeism. Treatment is generally by antipyretic and decongestant drugs and sometimes antibiotics, even though most infections are viral. Nasal irrigation with saline is often employed as an adjunct treatment for URTI symptoms despite a relative lack of evidence for benefit in this clinical setting. This review is an update of the Cochrane review by Kassel et al, which found that saline was probably effective in reducing the severity of some symptoms associated with acute URTIs.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of saline nasal irrigation for treating the symptoms of acute URTIs.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched CENTRAL (2014, Issue 7), MEDLINE (1966 to July week 5, 2014), EMBASE (1974 to August 2014), CINAHL (1982 to August 2014), AMED (1985 to August 2014) and LILACS (1982 to August 2014).
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing topical nasal saline treatment to other interventions in adults and children with clinically diagnosed acute URTIs.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors (DK, BM) independently assessed trial quality with the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool and extracted data. We analysed all data using the Cochrane Review Manager software. Due to the large variability of outcome measures only a small number of outcomes could be pooled for statistical analysis.
MAIN RESULTS
We identified five RCTs that randomised 544 children (three studies) and 205 adults (exclusively from two studies). They all compared saline irrigation to routine care or other nose sprays, rather than placebo. We included two new trials in this update, which did not contribute data of sufficient size or quality to materially change the original findings. Most trials were small and we judged them to be of low quality, contributing to an unclear risk of bias. Most outcome measures differed greatly between included studies and therefore could not be pooled. Most results showed no difference between nasal saline treatment and control. However, one larger trial, conducted with children, did show a significant reduction in nasal secretion score (mean difference (MD) -0.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.48 to -0.14) and nasal breathing (obstruction) score (MD -0.33, 95% CI -0.47 to -0.19) in the saline group. However, a MD of -0.33 on a four-point symptom scale may have minimal clinical significance. The trial also showed a significant reduction in the use of decongestant medication by the saline group. Minor nasal discomfort and/or irritation was the only side effect reported by a minority of participants.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Nasal saline irrigation possibly has benefits for relieving the symptoms of acute URTIs. However, the included trials were generally too small and had a high risk of bias, reducing confidence in the evidence supporting this. Future trials should involve larger numbers of participants and report standardised and clinically meaningful outcome measures.
Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Child; Common Cold; Humans; Laryngitis; Nasal Lavage; Pharyngitis; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rhinitis; Sinusitis; Sodium Chloride
PubMed: 25892369
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006821.pub3 -
BMJ Clinical Evidence Mar 2009Croup leads to signs of upper airway obstruction, and must be differentiated from acute epiglottitis, bacterial tracheitis, or an inhaled foreign body. Croup affects... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Croup leads to signs of upper airway obstruction, and must be differentiated from acute epiglottitis, bacterial tracheitis, or an inhaled foreign body. Croup affects about 3% of children a year, usually between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, and 75% of infections are caused by Parainfluenza virus. Symptoms usually resolve within 48 hours, but severe infection can, rarely, lead to pneumonia, and to respiratory failure and arrest.
METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of treatments in children with: mild croup; moderate to severe croup; and impending respiratory failure because of severe croup? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to June 2008 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
RESULTS
We found 43 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: antibiotics, corticosteroids, dexamethasone (intramuscular, oral, single-dose oral, route of administration), heliox, humidification, intermittent positive pressure breathing, L-adrenaline, nebulised adrenaline (epinephrine), nebulised budesonide, nebulised short-acting beta(2) agonists, oral decongestants, oral prednisolone, oxygen, and sedatives.
Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Administration, Oral; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Budesonide; Croup; Dexamethasone; Epinephrine; Humans; Infant
PubMed: 19445760
DOI: No ID Found -
European Archives of... Apr 2017Exercise induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a condition where inappropriate vocal cord or glottic closure occurs during exercise. This review of the literature... (Review)
Review
Exercise induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a condition where inappropriate vocal cord or glottic closure occurs during exercise. This review of the literature provides an overview of the current understanding of the definition, epidemiology, diagnosis and management of EILO. Using The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines the Cochrane, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed databases were searched. Four search domains "exercise", "induced", "laryngeal" and "obstruction" were used. Primary searching found 469 records, 308 were excluded following screening of titles and citation. 100 were duplicates, a further 47 studies were excluded after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two studies were identified following cross-referencing. A total of 15 studies were included. The last search date was 6/06/15. Average prevalence in the general adolescent population and athletes was 7.1 and 35.2 %, respectively. Dyspnoea was reported in 96.5, 99 and 100 % of three EILO patient cohorts. Two studies (n = 107) reported continuous laryngoscopy during exercise (CLE) testing could differentiate between patients and controls. In two studies (n = 33) the visual analogue scale (VAS) showed a beneficial effect of endoscopic supraglottoplasty (ES). Thirty-eight out of 43 patients who received two or more laryngeal control therapy sessions (LCT) had improvement or resolution of EILO symptoms. Exercise induced dyspnoea is the most common EILO symptom. EILO has a high occurrence in adolescents and athletes. The CLE test is the current gold standard for EILO diagnostics. Management of EILO includes both surgical and non-surgical interventions.
Topics: Adolescent; Airway Obstruction; Asthma, Exercise-Induced; Diagnosis, Differential; Dyspnea; Exercise; Female; Humans; Laryngeal Diseases; Laryngoscopy; Male; Prevalence; Vocal Cord Dysfunction
PubMed: 27730324
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-016-4338-1 -
Laryngoscope Investigative... Apr 2019Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a condition causing breathing difficulties and stridor during exercise. The condition has in severe cases been treated... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a condition causing breathing difficulties and stridor during exercise. The condition has in severe cases been treated surgically with supraglottoplasty. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the evidence and recommendations for surgical intervention in treating patients with EILO.
METHODS
A systematic search was performed in PubMed and Embase to identify relevant studies describing surgical treatment of patients diagnosed with severe EILO. According to eligibility criteria, data were independently extracted by two reviewers. To assess the risk of bias of each included study, the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was used.
RESULTS
The screening process identified 11 observational studies with a total of 75 patients. Findings indicated that many beneficial outcomes are to be found in surgical treatment for EILO. These indications were found both on visual verification of improvement of the laryngeal obstruction during exercise and patient self-reported symptom severity. The average NOS score (4.3) indicated low level of evidence in the included studies.
CONCLUSION
Studies reporting effects of surgical treatment of EILO have shown promising results in patients with laryngeal obstruction. However, the heterogeneity of study methodologies and the level of evidence precludes definitive recommendations for or against supraglottoplasty at this time; prospective and methodologically robust studies are now needed.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
4.
PubMed: 31024992
DOI: 10.1002/lio2.257 -
Pediatric Pulmonology Jun 2022Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) in children is underrecognized. This systematic review characterizes the scientific evidence on the impact of pediatric ILO... (Review)
Review
Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) in children is underrecognized. This systematic review characterizes the scientific evidence on the impact of pediatric ILO diagnosis and treatment on asthma medication use. This review, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020209168), utilized database searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science from inception to October 2020. Both experimental and observational studies on ILO and asthma outcomes in patients ≤18 years were included. Population characteristics (sample size, sex, age, and comorbidities) and study outcomes (medication usage and respiratory symptoms) were extracted. The risk of bias was assessed with the National Toxicology Program's Office of Health Assessment and Risk of Bias Rating Tool. Data are presented narratively due to study heterogeneity. Of 1091 studies, 1076 titles and abstracts were screened after duplicate removal. Screening 31 full texts yielded eight pre-post studies. Patients were an average of 14.1 years old, 15% male, and >90% used asthma medication; 40% reported allergies, 30% gastroesophageal reflux, and 20% anxiety or depression. Most patients received at least one intervention, with 75% showing symptomatic improvement and >75% decreasing or stopping asthma medications. Studies were small with a high risk of selection, confounding, and detection bias. Asthma management was not a primary outcome in any of the studies. Overall, ILO patients were often diagnosed with or treated for asthma before ILO diagnosis. Evidence from individual studies suggests that comorbidities including ILO, gastroesophageal reflux, allergies, and anxiety should be considered in pediatric patients with asthma not responsive to medical therapy. Further research is required to determine the proportion of impacted asthma patients.
Topics: Adolescent; Airway Obstruction; Asthma; Child; Female; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Humans; Laryngeal Diseases; Male; Syndrome
PubMed: 35355450
DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25910 -
Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery Mar 2018Secondary tracheal tumors arise from mural invasion by primary tumors in adjacent organs, metastatic lymph nodes or blood-born metastasis from distant sites. This... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Secondary tracheal tumors arise from mural invasion by primary tumors in adjacent organs, metastatic lymph nodes or blood-born metastasis from distant sites. This systematic review aims to assess the presentation, management options, and clinical outcomes of these uncommon non-tracheal malignancies.
METHODS
Electronic searches of the MEDLINE database were performed to identify case series and individual case reports of tracheal invasion by primary non-tracheal tumors or metastatic disease. All English-language studies with available abstracts or articles containing primary data were included.
RESULTS
From 1978 to 2017, a total of 160 case reports or case series identified 2,242 patients with invasion of the trachea by tumors of adjacent organs (n=1,853) or by metastatic lymph nodes or hematogenous spread (n=389). Common primary sites of origin were thyroid, esophagus, and lung, and the most common presentation was metachronous (range of interval: 0 to 564 months) with dyspnea, neck mass, voice change and/or hemoptysis. A majority of patients in case reports (77.9%) and case series (66.0%) underwent resection and the most common reported operation was segmental tracheal resection. Fewer patients underwent bronchoscopic intervention (21.7%) and radiation was used in 32.2% of patients. Complications after bronchoscopic treatment included bleeding, granulation tissue, and retained secretions, while anastomotic leak, unplanned tracheostomy, and new recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis were observed after surgical resection. The rate of 30-day mortality was low (0.01-1.80%). Median survival was higher in patients with thyroid malignancy and in patients who underwent surgical management. Follow-up time ranged from 0.03 to 183 months.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with tracheal invasion by metastatic or primary non-tracheal malignancies should be assessed for symptoms, tumor grade, tumor recurrence and concurrent metastases to decide on optimal surgical, bronchoscopic or noninterventional therapy. Clinical experience suggests that palliative endoscopic intervention for tracheal obstruction by metastasis-bearing lymph nodes is underreported.
PubMed: 29707496
DOI: 10.21037/acs.2018.02.01 -
Heliox for inducible laryngeal obstruction (vocal cord dysfunction): A systematic literature review.Laryngoscope Investigative... Apr 2019To perform a systematic literature review on the use of Heliox with patients with inducible laryngeal obstruction/vocal cord dysfunction to: i) identify current evidence... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
To perform a systematic literature review on the use of Heliox with patients with inducible laryngeal obstruction/vocal cord dysfunction to: i) identify current evidence base; and ii) establish the methodological quality of published research.
METHODS
Articles published up to March 2018 were searched for key words and terms using Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and Dynamed. Studies were included if they presented original research into the use of Heliox for vocal cord dysfunction.
RESULTS
Only three studies met the inclusion criteria for review. All reported favorable results for the use of Heliox as an adjunctive therapy for vocal cord dysfunction but none had sufficient methodological quality to support their conclusions.
CONCLUSION
Despite review articles recommending the use of Heliox in vocal cord dysfunction, there is a lack of good quality research to support this conclusion. There is a need for further research to investigate the effectiveness of Heliox as an adjunctive therapy for vocal cord dysfunction.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
4.
PubMed: 31024997
DOI: 10.1002/lio2.229 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is the structure responsible for sensory and motor innervation of the larynx, and it has been shown that its lesion due to a lack of... (Review)
Review
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Variants and Their Implication in Surgery and Neck Pathologies, Using the Anatomical Quality Assurance (AQUA) Checklist.
INTRODUCTION
The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is the structure responsible for sensory and motor innervation of the larynx, and it has been shown that its lesion due to a lack of surgical rigor led to alterations such as respiratory obstruction due to vocal cords paralysis and permanent phonation impairment. The objectives of this review were to know the variants of the RLN and its clinical relevance in the neck region.
METHODS
This review considered specific scientific articles that were written in Spanish or English and published between 1960 and 2022. A systematic search was carried out in the electronic databases MEDLINE, WOS, CINAHL, SCOPUS, SCIELO, and Latin American and Caribbean Center for Information on Health Sciences to compile the available literature on the subject to be treated and was enrolled in PROSPERO. The included articles were studies that had a sample of RLN dissections or imaging, intervention group to look for RLN variants, or the comparison of the non-recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) variants, and finally, its clinical correlations. Review articles and letters to the editor were excluded. All included articles were evaluated through quality assessment and risk of bias analysis using the methodological quality assurance tool for anatomical studies (AQUA). The extracted data in the meta-analysis were interpreted to calculate the prevalence of the RLN variants and their comparison and the relationship between the RLN and NRLN. The heterogeneity degree between included studies was assessed.
RESULTS
The included studies that showed variants of the RLN included in this review were 41, a total of 29,218. For the statistical analysis of the prevalence of the RLN variant, a forest plot was performed with 15 studies that met the condition of having a prevalence of less than 100%. As a result, the prevalence was shown to be 12% (95% CI, SD 0.11 to 0.14). Limitations that were present in this review were the publication bias of the included studies, the probability of not having carried out the most sensitive and specific search, and finally, the authors' personal inclinations in selecting the articles.
DISCUSSION
This meta-analysis can be considered based on an update of the prevalence of RLN variants, in addition to considering that the results show some clinical correlations such as intra-surgical complications and with some pathologies and aspects function of the vocal cords, which could be a guideline in management prior to surgery or of interest for the diagnostic.
PubMed: 37240722
DOI: 10.3390/life13051077 -
PloS One 2016Flexible laryngeal mask airways (FLMAs) have been widely used in thyroidectomy as well as cleft palate, nasal, upper chest, head and neck oncoplastic surgeries. This... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis Review
Airway Complications during and after General Anesthesia: A Comparison, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Using Flexible Laryngeal Mask Airways and Endotracheal Tubes.
OBJECTIVE
Flexible laryngeal mask airways (FLMAs) have been widely used in thyroidectomy as well as cleft palate, nasal, upper chest, head and neck oncoplastic surgeries. This systematic review aims to compare the incidence of airway complications that occur during and after general anesthesia when using the FLMA and endotracheal intubation (ETT). We performed a quantitative meta-analysis of the results of randomized trials.
METHODS
A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases was conducted using the key words "flexible laryngeal mask airway" and "endotracheal intubation". Only prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the FLMA and ETT were included. The relative risks (RRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using a quality effects model in MetaXL 1.3 software to analyze the outcome data.
RESULTS
Ten RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. There were no significant differences between the FLMA and ETT groups in the incidence of difficulty in positioning the airway [RR = 1.75, 95% CI = (0.70-4.40)]; the occurrence of sore throat at one hour and 24 hours postoperative [RR = 0.90, 95% CI = (0.13-6.18) and RR = 0.95, 95% CI = (0.81-1.13), respectively]; laryngospasms [RR = 0.58, 95% CI = (0.27-1.23)]; airway displacement [RR = 2.88, 95% CI = (0.58-14.33)]; aspiration [RR = 0.76, 95% CI = (0.06-8.88)]; or laryngotracheal soiling [RR = 0.34, 95% CI = (0.10-1.06)]. Patients treated with the FLMA had a lower incidence of hoarseness [RR = 0.31, 95% CI = (0.15-0.62)]; coughing [RR = 0.28, 95% CI = (0.15-0.51)] during recovery in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU); and oxygen desaturation [RR = 0.43, 95% CI = (0.26-0.72)] than did patients treated with ETT. However, the incidence of partial upper airway obstruction in FLMA patients was significantly greater than it was for ETT patients [RR = 4.01, 95% CI = (1.44-11.18)].
CONCLUSION
This systematic review showed that the FLMA has some advantages over ETT because it results in a lower incidence of hoarseness, coughing and oxygen desaturation. There were no statistically significant differences in the difficulty of intubation or in the occurrence of laryngospasms, postoperative sore throat, airway displacement, aspiration or laryngotracheal soiling. However, there was a higher incidence of partial upper airway obstruction in the FLMA than in the ETT group. We conclude that the FLMA has some advantages over ETT, but surgeons and anesthesiologists should be cautious when applying the mouth gag, moving the head and neck, or performing oropharyngeal procedures to avoid partial upper airway obstruction and airway displacement. The FLMA should not be used on patients at high risk for aspiration.
Topics: Anesthesia, General; Cough; Hoarseness; Humans; Incidence; Intubation, Intratracheal; Laryngeal Masks; Pharyngitis; Postoperative Complications
PubMed: 27414807
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158137