Halotherapy—An Ancient Natural Ally in the Management of Asthma: A Comprehensive Review

The increasing production of modern medication emerges as a new source of environmental pollution. The scientific community is interested in developing alternative, ecological therapies in asthma. Halotherapy proved its benefits in asthma diagnosis, treatment, and prevention and may represent a reliable therapeutic addition to the allopathic treatment, due to its ecological and environment-friendly nature, in order to prevent or prolong the time to exacerbations in patients with asthma. We aimed to review up-to-date research regarding halotherapy benefits in asthma comprehensively. We searched the electronic databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE for studies that evaluated the exposure of asthmatic patients to halotherapy. Eighteen original articles on asthma were included. Five studies in adults and five in children assessed the performance of hypertonic saline bronchial challenges to diagnose asthma or vocal cord dysfunction in asthmatic patients. Three papers evaluated the beneficial effects of halotherapy on mucociliary clearance in asthmatic adults. The therapeutic effect of halotherapy on acute or chronic asthma was appraised in three studies in adults and one in children. The preventive role was documented in one paper reporting the ability of halotherapy to hinder nocturnal asthma exacerbations. All studies seem to sustain the overall positive effects of halotherapy as adjuvant therapy on asthma patients with no reported adverse events. Halotherapy is a crucial natural ally in asthma, but further evidence-based studies on larger populations are needed.

Implementation of a novel vocal cord dysfunction management pathway using the consolidated framework for implementation research

Every year in Australia over a thousand children who are born with congenital heart disease require surgical intervention. Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) can be an unavoidable and potentially devastating complication of surgery for congenital heart disease. Structured, multidisciplinary care pathways help to guide clinical care and reduce mortality and morbidity. An implementation study was conducted to embed a novel, multidisciplinary management pathway into practice using the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR). The goal of the pathway was to prepare children with postoperative vocal cord dysfunction to safely commence and transition to oral feeding. Education sessions to support pathway rollout were completed with clinical stakeholders. Other implementation strategies used included adaptation of the pre-procedural pathway to obtain consent, improving the process of identifying patients on the VCD pathway, and nominating a small team who were responsible for the ongoing monitoring of patients following recruitment. Implementation success was evaluated according to compliance with pathway defined management. Our study found that while there were several barriers to pathway adoption, implementation of the pathway was feasible despite pathway adaptations that were required in response to COVID-19.

Complete section of the left vagus nerve does not preclude the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation: illustrative case

BACKGROUND Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) represents a valid therapeutic option for patients with medically intractable seizures who are not candidates for epilepsy surgery. Even when complete section of the nerve occurs, stimulation applied cranially to the involved nerve segment does not preclude the efficacy of VNS. Complete vagus nerve section with neuroma causing definitive left vocal cord palsy has never been previously reported in the literature. OBSERVATIONS Eight years after VNS implant, the patient experienced worsening of seizures; the interrogation of the generator revealed high impedance requiring surgical revision. On surgical exploration, complete left vagus nerve section and a neuroma were found. Vocal cord atrophy was found at immediate postoperative laryngeal inspection as a confirmation of a longstanding lesion. Both of these events might have been caused by direct nerve injury during VNS surgery, and they presented in a delayed fashion. LESSONS VNS surgery may be complicated by direct damage to the left vagus nerve, resulting in permanent neurological deficits. A complete section of the nerve also enables an efficacious stimulation if applied cranially to the involved segment. Laryngeal examination should be routinely performed before each VNS surgery to rule out preexisting vocal cord dysfunction.

Die induzierbare laryngeale Obstruktion (ILO) – Ursachen, klinische Präsentation, Diagnostik und Therapie

ZusammenfassungWiederholt episodenhaft auftretende Atemnot ist im Kindes- und Jugendalter ein häufiges Symptom. Neben anstrengungsinduzierter Bronchialobstruktion im Rahmen eines Asthma bronchiale ist eine funktionelle Genese eine sehr häufige Differenzialdiagnose. Dennoch wird diese Diagnose häufig nicht oder mit langer Latenz gestellt. Unter dem Oberbegriff „ILO“ („inducible laryngeal obstruction“) werden sowohl funktionelle supraglottische Obstruktionen durch Kollaps der Knorpelstrukturen als auch Dysfunktionen auf Glottisebene wie „vocal cord dysfunction“ (VCD) subsumiert. Körperliche Anstrengung ist ein häufiger Auslöser; es werden jedoch auch Beschwerdebilder ohne Anstrengungsbezug beobachtet. Es wird der Erkenntnisstand zur Pathophysiologie referiert und die klinische Präsentation beschrieben. Ein wesentlicher Fokus des Artikels liegt im Folgenden auf der Darstellung eines sinnvollen und Ressourcen-orientierten diagnostischen Vorgehens. Der CLE-Test („continuous laryngoscopy exercise test“) als Provokationsmethode unter Wach-Videolaryngoskopie ist der Goldstandard, jedoch wird diese Diagnostik im deutschsprachigen Raum nicht flächendeckend vorgehalten. Dieses Positionspapier stellt daher die diagnostische Wertigkeit verschiedener anderer Diagnostik-Algorithmen und anamnestischer Informationen heraus. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt des Papiers besteht in der detaillierten Vorstellung geeigneter atemphysiotherapeutischer Interventionen.

844 Pediatric Vagus Nerve Stimulator-Induced Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Introduction Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjunct treatment for seizures refractory to medications. VNS in children with epilepsy can reduce seizures by up to 90%. VNS settings include stimulation on-time, off-time, frequency and output current. Complications of VNS include sleep-disordered breathing due to laryngopharyngeal dysfunction, which can also cause voice alteration, hoarseness, and cough. Both obstructive apneas (more common) and central apneas can be seen in those patients who have VNS-induced sleep-disordered breathing. Report of case(s) A 14-year-old male with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome treated with multiple antiepileptic drugs and VNS was admitted to the PICU with worsening seizures. He developed acute respiratory failure due to status epilepticus, requiring intubation. After extubation, he was observed to have repetitive respiratory obstruction at regular intervals, occurring throughout the day and night, and associated with mild oxygen desaturations. Polysomnography showed cyclical obstructive respiratory events lasting 30 seconds followed by approximately 2-minute intervals of regular breathing. Interrogation of his VNS device revealed the following settings: output current of 1.75 mA, 30 seconds on, and 1.8 minutes off. CPAP therapy improved his oxygen saturations, but he continued to clinically exhibit the repetitive obstructive apneas even on positive pressure. However, after his VNS device settings were decreased, repeat polysomnography showed resolution of his obstructive breathing. Conclusion This case report demonstrates pediatric VNS-induced obstructive sleep apnea. Activation of the vagus nerve can cause laryngopharyngeal dysfunction, including laryngospasm and vocal cord dysfunction, with subsequent upper airway obstruction, causing obstructive apneas or hypopneas. Treatment options for pediatric VNS-induced OSA include CPAP, decreasing the VNS settings and adenotonsillectomy. Support (if any):