Deep extubation
Tracheal extubation while deeply anesthetized, also known as deep extubation, is a useful technique following thyroidectomy, particularly when outpatient management is anticipated. Extubation under deep anesthesia minimizes cardiovascular stimulation and reduces the incidence of coughing and straining on the tube (46). Patients for whom deep extubation may not be appropriate include those with airway pathology, morbid obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, gastro-oesophageal reflux, and those for whom intubation was challenging (47,48).
Strap muscle closure
An advocated alternative method of postoperative hematoma risk-reduction involves the closure of the strap muscles. Although historically these have been reapproximated from top to bottom with 3-O absorbable sutures, recognition that airway obstruction associated with postoperative bleeding is related to venous and lymphatic outflow obstruction (49) has led many surgeons to instead pursue single-point repair of the strap muscle diastasis to mitigate against this risk (50). The purpose of closing the strap muscles is to prevent adhesion of the subcutaneous tissues to the trachea and to avoid the cobra deformity (a central neck depression created by the unsutured medial edges of the strap or platysma muscles); each of these is accomplished by placing a figure-of-eight absorbable suture at the midpoint of the strap muscles to potentially ameliorate the risk of catastrophic airway obstruction. Another technique to accomplish the same goal is to employ interrupted sutures that leave the bottom part of the midline open for potential egress of a central neck hematoma. Still other surgeons do not close the strap muscles at all in patients with thick necks.