Abstract
The mortality rate after thyroid surgery is extremely low at less than 0.4%, and the prognosis of thyroid cancer is relatively good among the malignant diseases. Outpatient thyroidectomies have been often performed. The important complications of thyroid surgery include critical upper airway obstruction, bleeding and hematoma, and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. Although the incidence of these complications is low, intensive care is required when they do occur. The incidence of critical upper airway obstruction after thyroid surgery is as low as approximately 1%. However, postoperative upper airway obstruction after thyroid surgery can be a life-threatening problem. The possible mechanisms of critical upper airway obstruction are as follows: compression by postoperative bleeding or hematomas, edema from venostasis and lymphostasis, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, and a combination of these. The risk factors for critical upper airway obstruction are still unclear. It is difficult to estimate the probability of its occurrence. The key to its successful management is “early detection and intervention”. The medical team needs to fully understand the dangers and the management of the critical upper airway obstruction.
