Abstract
Emergencies involving the head and neck can arise from cancers involving the upper aerodigestive tract, but also from cancers unrelated to the head and neck as well as their treatments. Patients may present with complications due to the extent of head and neck tumor growth, airway compromise, bleeding, and infections that can develop into life-threatening events. A prepared surgeon can be critical for patient survival, and awareness of potential fatal emergencies is essential to ensure safety and improved outcomes in the cancer patient. In this chapter, we review the most common emergency situations that develop in the upper aerodigestive tract and outline the measures that a surgeon can take to be ready in the event of a head and neck emergency.
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Kang, R.S., Maghami, E., Gernon, T.J. (2017). Surgical Management of Head and Neck Emergencies in the Cancer Patient. In: Fong, Y., Kauffmann, R., Marcinkowski, E., Singh, G., Schoellhammer, H. (eds) Surgical Emergencies in the Cancer Patient. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44025-5_19
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