• Hany Hasan Elsayed and Assem Adel Moharram.
• Thoracic Surgery Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address: hanyhassan77@hotmail.com.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2021 Dec 1; 35 (12): 3652-3658.

ObjectiveThe management of laryngotracheal stenosis is challenging, as patients usually require in-time interventions. The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has added unique challenges to this procedure. The presence of the virus in high concentrations in the aerodigestive tract and the need for an open airway during surgery can increase the risk of aerosolization of the virus and subsequent infection of the surgical, anesthetic, and operating room (OR) personnel.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingUniversity hospital.ParticipantsPatients who underwent airway interventions between March and October 2020.InterventionsA protocolized strategy was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the consistent management of all patients undergoing airway interventions.Measurements And Main ResultsDuring a seven-month period, 34 patients were managed with this policy. All threatened airways were managed successfully and no healthcare workers dealing with such procedures were infected. Priorities during the current novel coronavirus pandemic are ensuring the safety of healthcare professionals and offering urgent bronchoscopic and surgical airway interventions for patients with progressive symptoms and threatened airways.ConclusionsSurgical and bronchoscopic management of laryngotracheal stenosis presents a unique challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring careful consideration of patient triage and the development of protocols that minimize risk to patients and healthcare professionals. Close collaboration between thoracic surgeons and anesthesiology teams is essential to safely navigate and handle these threatened airways while mitigating the risk of viral aerosolization.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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