Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2020
Multicenter StudyApproaching Otolaryngology Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Objective. To describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient presentations requiring otolaryngology consultation and provide recommendations for protective measures based on the experience of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) departments in 4 Chinese hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design. ⋯ COVID-19 patients require ENT consultation for many reasons, including tracheotomy. Otolaryngologists play an indispensable role in the treatment of COVID-19 patients but, due to their work, are at high risk of exposure. Appropriate protective strategies can prevent infection of otolaryngologists.
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2020
ReviewInformation Overload: A Method to Share Updates among Frontline Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Since COVID-19 was classified as a pandemic, the stream of important information from multiple sources is constant and always changing. As the pandemic evolves, the need to report relevant information to frontline providers remains crucial. ⋯ It was initially embraced as an important resource for resident physicians and then quickly adopted by the entire department as a necessary reference and communication tool during the ongoing crisis. The quicksheet has been a beneficial tool to distill and organize the most important and relevant information for frontline staff, and we hope that it can serve as a template for departments and health care workers in other hospital systems to adopt.
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2020
ReviewA Commentary on the Challenges of Telemedicine for Head and Neck Oncologic Patients during COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented and historic event that presents unique challenges to patient care to medical providers worldwide. The pandemic and the ensuing rapid changes to medical practice have particularly affected head and neck cancer surgeons and their patients. In an effort to balance the needs of our patients with the risks to patient and staff safety, we have been tasked with finding alternatives to the traditional office visit. In this commentary, we discuss how telemedicine can be incorporated into the head and neck surgery practice, the challenges that we have faced, and the dilemmas with which we have dealt in our efforts to fulfill the ongoing need for care of this unique patient population.
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2020
ReviewEffects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Otolaryngology Surgery in Italy: The Experience of Our University Hospital.
Otolaryngology and head and neck surgery underwent drastic changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 10, the first day of the lockdown in Italy, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were limited to emergency and oncology cases, while outpatient procedures and clinical examinations were temporarily suspended to limit virus diffusion and to reallocate personnel into wards dedicated to COVID-19. In our otolaryngology unit, between March 10 and April 28, 2020, we performed 96 surgical procedures; they mainly consisted in diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors of the head and neck (77%), management of acute upper airway obstruction in adults and children (14.7%), drainage of abscesses of the head and neck (6.2%), and treatment of nasal bone fractures (2.1%). When comparing these data with those of the same period in 2019 for emergency and oncology procedures, we noticed a drastic reduction of head and neck abscesses and nasal bone fractures, while oncology surgery remained stable.
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2020
ReviewSustaining Otolaryngology Services for the Long Haul during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience from a Tertiary Health System.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far-reaching and has profoundly affected the practice of otolaryngology in an unprecedented way. In this commentary, we draw from our experience in the first 90 days of the pandemic and discuss a set of workflow measures, personal protection equipment protocols, and strategic goals that can provide a safe environment for patients and staff to continue managing a significant proportion of patients in the otolaryngology service during the pandemic.