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Don't be afraid new procedures
6 Direct laryngoscopy ofnow profitable for ASCs to do, so over
is
the past 2 years, we've begun to do more of those procedures. Post-op
airway difficulties are a concern with direct laryngoscopy, but our
ENT group wanted to try it in the ASC, and we've not had a negative
outcome yet. Depending
on your surgeons' and
staff's comfort levels, it's
a procedure you might
want to consider adding.
The key to handling
direct laryngosocopy in
particular is to schedule
those cases first in the
If you want to get
sinus patients up
and on their way,
using the latest
packings is a
crucial start.
day, because airway
issues tend to happen right away — when patients are just being
extubated, or are just leaving the OR — rather than later. And
patients who make it to PACU without trouble are vastly more likely to have an issue during their recovery in your facility than at
home. But that doesn't mean we send these patients — or any others — on their way before they and their caregivers are comfortable
going. Sometimes, we ask that direct laryngoscopy patients stay in
town until mid-afternoon, just to make sure there are no complicaD E C E M B E R 2012 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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