Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
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Ann R Coll Surg Engl · Jul 2021
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-elective otolaryngology admissions and a positive change in clinical practice.
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed across the UK and Northern Ireland in March 2020, our otolaryngology department began to make preparations and changes in practice to accommodate for potentially large numbers of patients with COVID-19 related respiratory illness in the hospital. We retrospectively reviewed the number of non-elective admissions to our department between the months of January and May in 2019 and 2020. ⋯ Our practice shifted to manage patients with epistaxis and peritonsillar abscess on an outpatient basis, and while prospectively collecting data on this, we did not observe any significant adverse events. We view this as a positive learning point and change in our practice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Ann R Coll Surg Engl · Jul 2021
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyAppendicitis in the COVID-19 era: a modern challenge for experienced hands.
The first wave of COVID-19 was accompanied by global uncertainty. Delayed presentation of patients to hospitals ensued, with surgical pathologies no exception. This study aimed to assess whether delayed presentations resulted in more complex appendicectomies during the first wave of COVID-19. ⋯ Delayed presentations during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with more complex cases of appendicitis. Important lessons can be learnt from the changes in practice employed as a result of this global pandemic.