Narcotic Overdose Death After Tonsillectomy

This is a stock image. Here is a case  reported by media on 5/14/16 for which there is probably no right answer... The facts are not in dispute in which a 24 years old man underwent tonsillectomy 2/3/12 and died 9 days later from an overdose of narcotics, anti-anxiety meds, and cocaine. The main issue from an ENT perspective is whether the 145 narcotic pills that were prescribed for this patient was appropriate or not. You can read the media report here . Timeline: Feb 2, 2012:  Patient …

5/29/2016 0

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How Long Do Swallowing and Voice Problems Last After C-Spine Surgery ACDF?

I often see patients for swallowing and/or voice difficulties after cervical spine surgery (ACDF) . In the vast majority of cases, reassurance that such "side effects" are not uncommon is the only thing I need to provide after a complete exam. After all, both the voice box and swallowing tube are manipulated and pushed over to one side in order to perform cervical spine surgery from an anterior approach. Check out the video below that illustrates how this happens. Beyond reas…

12/29/2013 1

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Surgeries on a Weekend Have More Complications

The New York Times published an interesting story regarding how patients with ulcerative colitis suffered significantly more surgical complications when performed on a weekend compared to a weekday. Just how much worse? The cited  research  reported that the most common post-operative complication was post-operative infections (Weekend 30% vs. Weekday 20%). However, there was also an increased risk of need for repeat laparotomy, mechanical wound complications, and pulmonary complications…

3/22/2013 0

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What to Do and Care After Vocal Cord Surgery

When surgery is performed on the vocal cords, there are some very specific after-care that is required to allow for optimal healing. In order to understand the "why" such post-operative care is required, one must first understand how the vocal cords normally work. If you already know, just skip down to the bottom. The vocal cords are arranged in the shape of a "V". When breathing, the vocal cords are open to allow air to pass through and down into the windpipe. When talki…

2/17/2013 54

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After Surgery, Do Patients Have Out-of-Pocket Costs for Follow-Up Visits?

Assuming a patient has insurance, the answer is generally no for a certain period of time... For a period of time after surgery, insurance specifies that a surgeon provides any and all routine  post-operative care for "free" without any patient out-of-pocket charges. This period after surgery is called "global period" and is based on the assumption that the insurance has already paid for not only the surgery, but all the post-operative care that goes along with the sur…

9/26/2012 0

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