Investigators at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Release New Data on COVID-19 (Otolaryngology in the Time of Corona: Assessing Operative Impact and Risk During the COVID-19 Crisis)

2020 JUN 11 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Researchers detail new data in Coronavirus - COVID-19. According to news reporting out of Columbus, Ohio, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Limited research exists on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic pertaining to otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS). The present study seeks to understand the response of OHNS workflows in the context of policy changes and to contribute to developing preparatory guidelines for perioperative management in OHNS. Retrospective cohort study.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, “Pediatric and general adult academic medical centers and a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). OHNS cases from March 18 to April 8, 2020-the 3 weeks immediately following the Ohio state-mandated suspension of all elective surgery on March 18, 2020-were compared with a 2019 control data set. During this time, OHNS at the general adult and pediatric medical centers and CCC experienced 87.8%, 77.1%, and 32% decreases in surgical procedures as compared with 2019, respectively. Aerosol-generating procedures accounted for 86.8% of general adult cases, 92.4% of pediatric cases, and 62.0% of CCC cases. Preoperative COVID-19 testing occurred in 7.1% of general adult, 9% of pediatric, and 6.9% of CCC cases. The majority of procedures were tiers 3a and 3b per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Aerosol-protective personal protective equipment (PPE) was worn in 28.6% of general adult, 90% of pediatric, and 15.5% of CCC cases. For OHNS, the majority of essential surgical cases remained high-risk aerosol-generating procedures. Preoperative COVID-19 testing and intraoperative PPE usage were initially inconsistent; systemwide guidelines were developed rapidly but lagged behind recommendations of the OHNS department and its academy.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “OHNS best practice standards are needed for preoperative COVID-19 status screening and PPE usage as we begin national reopening.”

For more information on this research see: Otolaryngology in the Time of Corona: Assessing Operative Impact and Risk During the COVID-19 Crisis. Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2020;():019459982093021. Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery can be contacted at: Mosby, Inc, 11830 Westline Industrial Dr, St Louis, MO 63146-3318, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting A. Heilingoetter, Dept. of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States. Additional authors for this research include H.N. Kuhar, M. Bergman, N. Worobetz, T. Chiang and L. Matrka.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820930214. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery is: Mosby, Inc, 11830 Westline Industrial Dr, St Louis, MO 63146-3318, USA.

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