ENT features
Anaesthesia for sleep nasendoscopy and snoring / obstructive sleep apnoea surgery
Surgery for sleep disordered breathing inevitably requires surgeon and anaesthetist to share the airway. Here, Edward Bick gives us the anaesthetic viewpoint, reiterating that communication is the key. A specific note is made of the anaesthetic technique for sleep nasendoscopy,...
The role of the respiratory physician in sleep medicine
ENT surgeons may feel that they are the first point of referral for the majority of patients with snoring and possible obstructive sleep apnoea, but in reality a significant number of patients with sleep-disordered breathing (of any cause) are seen...
Sleep apnoea in children with craniofacial syndromes
Whilst snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea are relatively common diagnoses in paediatric ENT, children with craniofacial syndromes take the problem to the next level. Robert Nash and Michelle Wyatt describe the Great Ormond Street multidisciplinary approach to treating this complex...
Chronic cough hypersensitivity syndrome
We all have patients who give us a ‘heartsink’ feeling; for many of us, the coughing patient is exactly such a situation. In this overview, Bhaskar Ram and Sangeeta Maini outline their approach to diagnosis. Declan Costello, Editor. Introduction Chronic...
The doctor – pharmaceutical company relationship
‘Which drug rep is taking us out tonight?’ We have heard this phrase uttered at conferences since meetings began, but as Dylan said ‘those times they are a changing’ thanks to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and...
A small company’s perspective
In this article, we hear from Alan McNulty, Director from Sheffmed, an SME (Small – Medium Enterprise), who have supplied surgical instruments, consumables and video systems to ENT clinicians for over 12 years. Alan outlines some of the choices and...
Industry interaction with the ENT speciality
I was enormously grateful for the chance to articulate my personal thoughts on ‘the industry interaction with the ENT clinical community’. To set a context, the term ‘industry’ refers to medical technology manufacturers and suppliers, in addition to pharmaceutical companies....
NHS collaboration and partnership with the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries
Historically the relationship between industry and the NHS has been a cautious one. Both sides have typically worked with only partially disclosed agendas, under a pervading fear of finding themselves on the wrong end of a win-lose negotiation. Things have...
Training in the use of medical devices – how should it be done?
Adequate training in novel medical devices is imperative, not only to ensure patient safety, but also to give clinicians the confidence to use the device in question. In this article, Andrea Gillies explains the philosophy of one of the equipment...
The British Laryngological Association and Industry
In 2011 British laryngologists Martin Birchall and Guri Sandhu, assisted by ENT SpR Chad Al Yagachi, organised the first highly successful three-day international ‘Cutting-Edge Laryngology for the 21st Century’ conference at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. The Kenes...
Hearing and balance clinical trials network (HEARING CTN)
About the HEARING CTN The HEARING CTN is a new UK research network focused on promoting research collaboration and supporting high quality research studies, with the aim of improving the evidence supporting the diagnosis and management of hearing loss and...
The structure and function of DNA
DNA structure and replication Genetic information within multicellular organisms, including man, is stored in molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which reside within the chromosomes of each cell nucleus. A DNA molecule consists of two very long chains, or strands, of...
