Risk Factors for Complications Following Lateral Skull Base Surgery and the Utility of ICU Monitoring

Conclusions: The necessity of intensive care following lateral skull base surgery is rare, with the primary ICU complication being hypertensive urgency. Preoperative hypertension and large tumor volume (>4500 mm3) were independently associated with increased risk for ICU complications. These findings may allow for risk stratification of patients appropriate for admission to stepdown units following resection of vestibular schwannomas. Further prospective, multi-center, randomized studies are necessary to validate these findings before systematic changes to current postoperative care practices.
Source: Otology and Neurotology - Category: ENT & OMF Tags: TUMORS OF THE EAR AND CRANIAL BASE Source Type: research