Postoperative complications in pharyngeal flap surgery

Objective: To investigate the incidence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) associated with pharyngeal flap surgery in patients with cleft palate at least 6 months postoperatively and to determine whether age or the flap width had an effect on them. The hypothesis tested in this study was that the severity of OSA associated with pharyngeal flap surgery is greater in children than in adults. Subjects: Ten adults, six men and four women, with a mean age of 28.0 years at pharyngeal flap (adult group). Twenty-eight children, 13 boys and 15 girls, with a mean age of 6.3 years at pharyngeal flap (child group). Design: A prospective analysis. Main Outcome Measures: An overnight polysomnographic study was used to determine the incidence and severity of OSA 6 months after pharyngeal flap. Results: The incidence of OSA following pharyngeal flap was high but not significantly different between these two groups (90% in adults and 93% in children, p = 1.000). When OSA was stratified into different levels of severity according to the values of respiratory disturbance index, there were noticeable differences between these two groups (p = .022). In the adult group, eight patients (89%) had mild OSA and 1 patient (11%) had moderate to severe OSA. In the child group, 11 patients (42%) were found to have mild OSA, and 15 patients (58%) had moderate to severe OSA. No relation was found between the flap width and the incidence (p = .435 in adults and .640 in children) or the severity (p = .325 in adults and .310 in children) of OSA in each group. Conclusions: Six months following pharyngeal flap surgery, more than 90% of the patients with cleft palate still had OSA. The severity of OSA associated with pharyngeal flap surgery tended to be greater in children than in adults. The flap width was unrelated to the incidence and severity of OSA, no matter in adults or in children.

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Safety of nasal stenting in pharyngeal flap surgery for pediatric velopharyngeal dysfunction

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology ◽

10.1016/j.ijporl.2019.109804 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 130 ◽

pp. 109804

Author(s):

R. Araslanova ◽

R. Instrum ◽

A. Dzioba ◽

M. Husein

Keyword(s):

Flap Surgery ◽

Pharyngeal Flap

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Impact of Body Mass Index on Operative Outcomes in Head and Neck Free Flap Surgery

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599818777240 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 159 (5) ◽

pp. 817-823 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Meghan M. Crippen ◽

Jacob S. Brady ◽

Alexander M. Mozeika ◽

Jean Anderson Eloy ◽

Soly Baredes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Postoperative Complications ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Free Flap ◽

Flap Reconstruction ◽

Free Flap Reconstruction ◽

Flap Surgery ◽

Free Flap Surgery ◽

Increased Risk

Objective Analyze the risk for perioperative complications associated with body mass index (BMI) class in patients undergoing head and neck free flap reconstruction. Study Design and Setting Retrospective cohort study. Subjects and Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was queried for all cases of head and neck free flaps between 2005 and 2014 (N = 2187). This population was stratified into underweight, normal-weight, overweight, and obese BMI cohorts. Groups were compared for demographics, comorbidities, and procedure-related variables. Rates of postoperative complications were compared between groups using χ2 and binary logistic regression analyses. Results Underweight patients (n = 160) had significantly higher rates of numerous comorbidities, including disseminated cancer, preoperative chemotherapy, and anemia, while obese patients (n = 447) had higher rates of diabetes and hypertension. Rates of overall surgical complications, medical complications, and flap loss were insignificantly different between BMI groups. Following regression, obese BMI was protective for perioperative transfusion requirement (odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, P = .001), while underweight status conferred increased risk (OR = 2.43, P < .001). Recent weight loss was found to be an independent predictor of perioperative cardiac arrest (OR = 3.16, P = .006) while underweight BMI was not (OR = 1.21, P = .763). However, both weight loss and underweight status were associated with significantly increased risk for 30-day mortality (OR = 4.48, P = .032; OR = 4.02, P = .010, respectively). Conclusion Obesity does not increase the risk for postoperative complications in head and neck free flap surgery and may be protective in some cases. When assessing a patient’s fitness for surgery, underweight status or recent weight loss may suggest a reduced ability to tolerate extensive free flap reconstruction.

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