Heat and Moisture Exchanger Cassettes: Results of a Quality/safety Initiative to Reduce Postoperative Mucus Plugging After Total Laryngectomy

Overview

Journal Head Neck

Specialties General Surgery
Oncology

Date 2020 May 24

PMID 32445222

Citations 2

Authors

Barbara Ebersole

Kathleen Moran

Jiangtao Gou

John Ridge

Linda Schiech

Jeffrey C Liu

Miriam Lango

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Tracheal dryness is a concern after total laryngectomy due to the potential for mucus plugs (MP). This study compared heat and moisture exchanger (HME) cassettes to external tracheal humidification (ETH) surrounding MP events.

Methods: A retrospective comparative cohort study comparing outcomes before/after implementation of a patient safety initiative utilizing HME during post laryngectomy hospitalization. The number of MP events were compared with a pre-implementation control group using ETH. Patient characteristics were analyzed for correlation with MP.

Results: The rate of MP was significantly lower in the HME group than ETH (0.13 and 0.38 per 10 inpatient days, respectively, P = .02). The proportion of patients with one or more MP events was also significantly reduced in the HME group (50% ETH and 11% HME, P = .01). Method of humidification was the only significant variable associated with MP on logistic regression modeling (P = .008).

Conclusions: HMEs were superior to ETH for prevention of MP.

Citing Articles

An Exploratory Study on the Efficacy of a New Heat and Moisture Exchanger (Provox® LifeTM) for Laryngectomized Patients.

Takeda H, Shinomiya H, Fujiwara H, Furukawa T, Teshima M, Nibu K Cureus. 2024; 16(11):e73279.

PMID: 39650877 PMC: 11625442. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.73279.

The Benefits of Silicone Laryngectomy Tubes at the Time of Laryngectomy-A Case Series Spanning 17 Years.

Kearney A, Samad I, Belsky M, Doyle P, Damrose E Head Neck. 2024; 47(2):720-725.

PMID: 39425511 PMC: 11717960. DOI: 10.1002/hed.27967.

New Heat and Moisture Exchangers for Laryngectomized Patients in Germany: Mixed Methods Study on the Expected Effectiveness.

Ahmed A, Mewes J, Boot I, Vrijhoef H JMIR Form Res. 2023; 7:e36401.

PMID: 36630171 PMC: 9878367. DOI: 10.2196/36401.

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