Comparison of cervical neck strain in common otolaryngology surgeries

Background: Cervical neck strain and surgical ergonomics is an increasingly important topic being addressed in this time and age. With new technologies, visualizations, and approaches to surgeries, there are now different strains and duration of strains to the cervical neck. Recently the effect of chronic cell phone use has been described as "text neck." In a similar fashion we understand that certain otolaryngology surgeries can also impart chronic strain to the cervical neck. We aim to quantitatively describe strain for different types of surgeries by looking at posture, duration of surgery, and anatomic ergonomics of specific surgeries. Methods: Lateral photo documentation of posture during 6 common otolaryngology procedures, used to estimate cervical neck angle and calculate force and impulse to cervical neck. Results: Six common otolaryngology procedures show various cervical neck angles ranging from around 0 degrees to 60 degrees of neck flexion, with subsequent forces ranging from 16 lb to 60 lb of force. When accounting for surgical time, bigger differences arose with impulses ranging from 270,000 N*s to 3,300,000 N*s. Noticeably, thyroidectomy and cleft palate showed much higher impulses than the other four types of surgeries. Conclusion: Both cervical neck flexion and duration of surgery play important roles in total neck theoretical strain. Variance exists between neck strains of common otolaryngology surgeries. There is a necessity for continued study and improvement in surgical ergonomics.