• Richard A Goldman, Brian Swendseid, Chan Jason Y K JYK Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region., Michelle Lewandowski, Jacqueline Adams, Monica Purcell, and David M Cognetti.
• Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Jul 1; 163 (1): 67-69.

AbstractThe ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to unprecedented demands on the modern health care system, and the highly contagious nature of the virus has led to particular concerns of infection among health care workers and transmission within health care facilities. While strong data regarding the transmissibility of the infection are not yet widely available, preliminary information suggests risk of transmission among asymptomatic individuals, including those within health care facilities. We believe that the presence of a tracheostomy or laryngectomy stoma poses a unique risk of droplet and aerosol spread particularly among patients with unsuspected infection. At our institution, guidelines for the care of open airways were developed by a multidisciplinary open airway working group, and here we review those recommendations to provide practical guidance to other institutions.

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