This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
At this meeting, Charles Edmond, MD, George Zalzal, MD, John Nowlin, MD, and Billie Lou Short, MD, presented their experience with the otolaryngologic complications associated with ECMO. The most common otolaryngologic complication was postextubation stridor, which occurred in 25 (13.6%) of 227 patients examined. Almost half of these patients required flexible or direct laryngoscopic examination. Bleeding from the nasotracheal tube and tracheitis were also reported and were felt to be secondary to repeated suctioning. Complications related to the surgical procedure included neck hematomas, Horner's syndrome, and vocal cord paralysis. The authors emphasized the need for otolaryngologists to be familiar with these types of complications as they will likely be consulted more often as more centers develop ECMO programs.