Ear Tube Placement in Kids WITHOUT Sedation (Starting at 12 Months of Age)

A recent report describes how using a relatively old technology, ear tube placement can now be performed in children starting at 12 months of age with chronic ear infections or hearing loss due to fluid buildup without the need for sedation of any kind nor aggressive restraints (ie papoose). Historically,  ear tube placement in the office without sedation is typically performed starting at around 12 years of age using standard local anesthesia techniques. Any younger, a child could not …

10/05/2013 0

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Local Anesthetic Allergy

Rarely, a patient presents with a history of being allergic to lidocaine or another kind of local anesthetic. Often, the "allergic" reaction described (racing heart, light-headed, dizziness, etc) is more attributable to the epinephrine which is often used in conjunction with the anesthetic; therefore not a true allergy, but a not unexpected possible side effect. Also, if a true allergy is present, it may not be to the anesthetic itself, but the preservative contained within, typic…

8/27/2013 0

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Why Patients Travel a Long Distance for Care

The decision for a patient to travel hours away for their medical care is a highly personal decision or a matter of necessity, especially if the care is unavailable locally. Assuming care IS available locally, based on my own personal observations, the reason to travel for medical care ultimately is due to level of anxiety... either the patient or the surgeon. Patient A: I recently saw a patient with a small parotid tumor ... about 1.5cm in size that was confirmed on needle biopsy to be…

10/29/2012 0

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12 Years Old Girl Dies After Tonsillectomy

Tampa Bay Times reported on June 10, 2012 a 12 years old girl died after a tonsillectomy performed on Aug 13, 2010 for chronic tonsillitis. From the details provided from the news report , it seems that several independent issues all contributed together that lead to this child's unfortunate and tragic death. This case was also complicated by subsequent non-medically related actions taken by medical personnel which will not be discussed here. Strictly medically speaking... Loca…

6/11/2012 0

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New Video on Endoscopic Vocal Cord Mass Injection & Bronchoscopy Without Sedation

We have produced a new video demonstrating how vocal cord masses can be injected with medications (like steroids) under endoscopic guidance without the need for any sedation. This video also includes bronchoscopy that was performed at the same time (also without any sedation). Check out the video here !

4/14/2011 0

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Should You Have Surgery Far From Home???

I am in the fortunate position of seeing patients who live locally as well as a handful who travel across one or more state lines to see me on a weekly basis, as well as the sporadic few who come from even other countries. When patients travel great distances to see a doctor, this puts the physician in a particularly humbling position. However, it also places additional strain on how care can be provided efficiently and reasonably when geography logistically makes it difficult. To begin, …

1/01/2011 2

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