This podcast discusses the implications for primary care providers and patients of "Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo", published as a supplement to the March 2017 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation.

This update of a 2008 guideline from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation provides evidence-based recommendations to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), defined as a disorder of the inner ear characterized by repeated episodes of positional vertigo. Changes from the prior guideline include a consumer advocate added to the update group; new evidence from 2 clinical practice guidelines, 20 systematic reviews, and 27 randomized controlled trials; enhanced emphasis on patient education and shared decision making; a new algorithm to clarify action statement relationships; and new and expanded recommendations for the diagnosis and management of BPPV.

The primary purposes of this guideline are to improve the quality of care and outcomes for BPPV by improving the accurate and efficient diagnosis of BPPV, reducing the inappropriate use of vestibular suppressant medications, decreasing the inappropriate use of ancillary testing such as radiographic imaging, and increasing the use of appropriate therapeutic repositioning maneuvers. The guideline is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and manage patients with BPPV, and it applies to any setting in which BPPV would be identified, monitored, or managed.

Click here to read the Guideline.

This podcast discusses the implications for otolaryngologists of "Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo", published as a supplement to the March 2017 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation.

This update of a 2008 guideline from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation provides evidence-based recommendations to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), defined as a disorder of the inner ear characterized by repeated episodes of positional vertigo. Changes from the prior guideline include a consumer advocate added to the update group; new evidence from 2 clinical practice guidelines, 20 systematic reviews, and 27 randomized controlled trials; enhanced emphasis on patient education and shared decision making; a new algorithm to clarify action statement relationships; and new and expanded recommendations for the diagnosis and management of BPPV.

The primary purposes of this guideline are to improve the quality of care and outcomes for BPPV by improving the accurate and efficient diagnosis of BPPV, reducing the inappropriate use of vestibular suppressant medications, decreasing the inappropriate use of ancillary testing such as radiographic imaging, and increasing the use of appropriate therapeutic repositioning maneuvers. The guideline is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and manage patients with BPPV, and it applies to any setting in which BPPV would be identified, monitored, or managed.

Click here to read the Guideline.

This podcast highlights original research published in the March 2017 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation.

The objective for this study was to determine which complications, as defined by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, correlate with 30-day mortality in surgery for malignancies of the head and neck. NSQIP data from 2005 to 2014 were queried for ICD-9 codes head and neck malignancies. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the correlation of individual complications with 30-day mortality.

The NSQIP database has been extensively validated and used to examine surgical complications, yet there is little analysis on which complications are associated with death. This study identified complications associated with increased risk of 30-day mortality following head and neck cancer surgery. These associations may be used as a measure of complication severity and should be considered when using the NSQIP database to evaluate outcomes in head and neck surgery.

Click here to read the full article.