Appropriateness for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeons in case of pregnancy, breastfeeding, or childbearing potential: Yo-IFOS and CEORL-HNS joint clinical consensus statement

Abstract Purpose SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are a key step in fighting the pandemic. Nevertheless, their rapid development did not allow for testing among specific population subgroups such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, or elaborating specific guidelines for healthcare personnel working in high infection risk specialties, such as otolaryngology (ORL). This clinical consensus statement (CCS) aims to offer guidance for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to this high-risk population based on the best evidence available. Methods A multidisciplinary international panel of 33 specialists judged statements through a two-round modified Delphi method survey. Statements were designed to encompass the following topics: risk of SARS-Cov-2 infection and use of protective equipment in ORL; SARS-Cov-2 infection and vaccines and respective risks for the mother/child dyad; and counseling for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnant, breastfeeding, or fertile healthcare workers (PBFHW). All ORL PBFHW were considered as the target audience. Results Of the 13 statements, 7 reached consensus or strong consensus, 2 reached no consensus, and 2 reached near-consensus. According to the statements with strong consensus otorhinolaryngologists—head and neck surgeons who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or with childbearing potential should have the opportunity to receive SARS-Cov-2 vaccination. Moreover, personal protective equipment (PPE) should still be used even after the vaccination. Conclusion Until prospective evaluations on these topics are available, ORL-HNS must be considered a high infection risk specialty. While the use of PPE remains pivotal, ORL PBFHW should be allowed access to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination provided they receive up-to-date information.

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Appropriateness for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination for Otolaryngologist and Head and Neck Surgeons in case of Pregnancy, Breastfeeding or Childbearing potential: YO-IFOS and CEORL-HNS joint clinical consensus statement

10.21203/rs.3.rs-363121/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

alberto maria saibene ◽

Fabiana Allevi ◽

Tareck Ayad ◽

Tomislav Baudoin ◽

Manuel Bernal-Sprekelsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Consensus Statement ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Population Based ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Childbearing Potential ◽

High Infection ◽

Strong Consensus

Abstract Purpose: SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are a key step in fighting the pandemic. Nevertheless, their rapid development did not allow for testing among specific population subgroups such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, or elaborating specific guidelines for healthcare personnel working in high infection risk specialties, such as otolaryngology (ORL). This clinical consensus statement (CCS) aims to offer guidance for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to this high-risk population based on the best evidence available.Methods: A multidisciplinary international panel of 33 specialists judged statements through a 2-rounds modified Delphi method survey. Statements were designed to encompass the following topics: risk of SARS-Cov-2 infection and use of protective equipment in ORL; SARS-Cov-2 infection and vaccines and respective risks for the mother/child dyad; and counseling for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnant, breastfeeding, or fertile healthcare workers (PBFHW). All ORL PBFHW were considered as the target audience.Results: Of the 13 statements, 7 reached consensus or strong consensus, 2 reached noConsensus and 2 reached near-consensus. According to the statements with strong consensus Otorhinolaryngologists – Head & Neck Surgeons who are pregnant, breastfeeding or with childbearing potential should have the opportunity to receive SARS-Cov-2 vaccination. Moreover, personal protective equipment (PPE) should still be used even after the vaccination.Conclusion: Until prospective evaluations on these topics are available, ORL-HNS must be considered a high infection risk specialty. While the use of PPE remains pivotal, ORL PBFHW should be allowed access to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination provided they receive up-to-date information.

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Perioperative pain management and opioid‐reduction in head and neck endocrine surgery: An American Head and Neck Society Endocrine Surgery Section consensus statement

Head & Neck ◽

10.1002/hed.26774 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jay K. Ferrell ◽

Maisie L. Shindo ◽

Brendan C. Stack ◽

Peter Angelos ◽

Gary Bloom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Consensus Statement ◽

Endocrine Surgery ◽

Perioperative Pain ◽

Perioperative Pain Management

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COVID-19 global pandemic planning: Dry heat incubation and ambient temperature fail to consistently inactivate SARS-CoV-2 on N95 respirators

Experimental Biology and Medicine ◽

10.1177/1535370220977819 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 153537022097781

Author(s):

Douglas J Perkins ◽

Robert A Nofchissey ◽

Chunyan Ye ◽

Nathan Donart ◽

Alison Kell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ambient Temperature ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Dry Heat ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Individual Site ◽

Pandemic Planning ◽

N95 Respirators

The ongoing pandemic of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has placed a substantial strain on the supply of personal protective equipment, particularly the availability of N95 respirators for frontline healthcare personnel. These shortages have led to the creation of protocols to disinfect and reuse potentially contaminated personal protective equipment. A simple and inexpensive decontamination procedure that does not rely on the use of consumable supplies is dry heat incubation. Although reprocessing with this method has been shown to maintain the integrity of N95 respirators after multiple decontamination procedures, information on the ability of dry heat incubation to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 is largely unreported. Here, we show that dry heat incubation does not consistently inactivate SARS-CoV-2-contaminated N95 respirators, and that variation in experimental conditions can dramatically affect viability of the virus. Furthermore, we show that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on N95 respirators that remain at room temperature for at least five days. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that dry heat incubation procedures and ambient temperature for five days are not viable methods for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 on N95 respirators for potential reuse. We recommend that decontamination procedures being considered for the reuse of N95 respirators be validated at each individual site and that validation of the process must be thoroughly conducted using a defined protocol.

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physicians Working in the Head and Neck Field

International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1722254 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (01) ◽

pp. e150-e159

Author(s):

Rui Imamura ◽

Ricardo F. Bento ◽

Leandro L. Matos ◽

William N. William ◽

Gustavo N. Marta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Outpatient Care ◽

Online Survey ◽

Family Income ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Psychological Burden ◽

The Public ◽

The Third

Abstract Background With the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical practice of physicians who work in the head and neck field in Brazil dropped dramatically. The sustained impact of the pandemic is not known. Methods An anonymous online survey was distributed to Brazilian otolaryngologists, head and neck surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, asking about their clinical practice in the third to fourth months of the pandemic. Results The survey was completed by 446 specialists. About 40% reported reduction of more than 75% in outpatient care. A reduction of 90% to 100% in airway endoscopies was reported by 50% of the responders, and the same rate of reduction regarding surgeries (pediatric or nasosinusal) was reported by 80% of them. Family income decreased by 50%, and the psychological burden on physicians was considerable. The availability of personal protective equipment and safety precautions were limited, especially in the public sector. Conclusion COVID-19 is still impacting the head and neck field, and safety concerns may hinder the prompt resumption of elective care.

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Knowledge and preventive practices regarding Hepatitis B among nurses in some selected hospitals of Dhaka city, Bangladesh

South East Asia Journal of Public Health ◽

10.3329/seajph.v4i1.21840 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 48-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nadira Mehriban ◽

GU Ahsan ◽

Tajul Islam

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis B ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Public Institution ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Bivariate Analysis ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Staff Nurse ◽

Public And Private ◽

Preventive Practices ◽

Public And Private Hospitals

Hepatitis B is the most important infectious occupational hazard which the healthcare workers (HCWs) encounter. Healthcare personnel specially nursing staff represents a high risk population for HBV infection. The objective of the study was to assess the level of preventive practices regarding Hepatitis B among nurses and the factors associated with preventive practices. The study was conducted among 300 nurses both from public and private hospitals using a pretested structured questionnaire adopting a purposive sampling technique. The mean age of the respondents was 29.7±5.8 and majority of them (83.7%) were holding Diploma degrees with (83.3%) designated as staff nurse. About 59.7% were married and 94.3% were females. One third of the respondents (34.3%) were from public institution and 65.7% from private institution. It was revealed from the study that (67.3%) of the respondents had adequate level of knowledge on Hepatitis B but only half of them (49.3%) had good level of preventive practices. Bivariate analysis showed association between institution, income, age, religion, knowledge and level of preventive practice (P<0.05). In conclusion it can be said that compared to knowledge of the respondents on Hepatitis B, their preventive practices were low. Appropriate educational and health promotion programs should be implemented to increase the level of preventive practices on Hepatitis B among the nurses.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/seajph.v4i1.21840 South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.4(1) 2014: 48-52

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Pre-exposure prophylaxis' knowledge, attitudes, practices amongst italian men who have sex with men

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckab164.877 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽

Author(s):

G Voglino ◽

MR Gualano ◽

S Rousset ◽

F Bert ◽

R Siliquini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Behaviour ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Barriers To Access ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

High Infection ◽

Sex With Men ◽

Prep Awareness ◽

Exposure Prophylaxis

Abstract Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is suitable for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)high-infection-risk people, foremost amongst males who have sex with other males (MSM). This study evaluated knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding PrEP in a sample of Italian MSM, in order to hypothesize strategies to implement PrEP awareness and use. Methods An online survey was given to an opportunistic sample of Italian MSM. The questionnaire investigated sexual behaviour, knowledge on HIV and PrEP awareness, attitudes and practices. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to identify possible associations with PrEP knowledge. Results A total of 196 MSM completed the survey. Overall data showed very good HIV and safe sexual behaviour knowledge (94.4% of correct answers). Nevertheless, our sample rarely used PrEP because of existing barriers: high therapy price (26.9%)and fear of side effects (23.8%). Only 10.3% of partecipants were informed on HIV and PReP by institutional channels, even less (7.5%) from specialized physicians and general practitioners. The most significant association with PrEP knowledge was having regular HIV-tests (adjusted odds ratio (AdjOR) = 3.16; confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-9.29); Conclusions PreP's Knowledge was well established, but PrEP use was not widespread. It is necessary to improve communication on PrEP and to lower existing barriers in order to grant access to PrEP access. Key messages Barriers to access PrEP have to be lowered. Healthcare personnel has to be involved in PrEP's benefits communication.

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Use of Personal Protective Equipment among Healthcare Personnel during COVID-19 Pandemic

Egyptian Journal of Occupational Medicine ◽

10.21608/ejom.2021.193272 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 183-198

Author(s):

El-Sallamy R R ◽

Elghazally N

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Protective Equipment

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Utilization of Autologous Superficial Femoral Vein Graft in Cases of Infected Prosthetic Graft Replacement and High Infection-risk Cases

European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery ◽

10.1016/j.ejvs.2019.09.160 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 58 (6) ◽

pp. e655

Author(s):

Luboš Kubíček ◽

Robert Staffa ◽

Zdeněk Kříž ◽

Tomáš Novotný ◽

Robert Vlachovský

Keyword(s):

Vein Graft ◽

Femoral Vein ◽

Prosthetic Graft ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Graft Replacement ◽

Superficial Femoral Vein ◽

High Infection

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Invention, Innovation, and Imitation in India—Necessity Arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Annals of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1713719 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 56 (02) ◽

pp. 077-086 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Joseph L. Mathew ◽

T. Lazar Mathew

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Innovation Ecosystem ◽

The Public ◽

Technology Platforms ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽

Support Devices ◽

Antibody Tests

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated tremendous innovation in India, driven by unprecedented novel needs, sense of urgency, availability of time during the lockdown, funding by Government agencies, and accelerated processing of projects. Therefore, the country has witnessed widespread innovation and imitation of existing technologies in recent weeks, but very few inventions. One novel invention, the Artificial Breathing Capability Device (ABCD) is being speeded up by the current necessity. Other innovations and imitations include (i) healthcare devices/products intended for diagnosis, management, or monitoring of suspected/confirmed COVID-19 patients (in healthcare institutions); (ii) improvisations in personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers and other personnel (including the public); (iii) adaptation of information technology platforms for telehealth, telemedicine, telemonitoring, and tele-education; and (iv) repurposing of existing resources/technologies for COVID-19. Some fruits of these efforts include (i) respiratory support devices (by mechanization of manual ventilation, ventilator splitters, etc.), (ii) personal protective equipment (PPE) (novel face masks, face shields/splash guards, intubation boxes, aerosol guards, etc.), (iii) novel sanitization products, processes or deployment methods, (iv) diagnostic tests (including rapid antibody tests, polymerase chain reaction [PCR] methods, and loop-mediated isothermal amplification [LAMP]), and (v) various adaptations such as repurposing and retrofitting of existing technologies aligned to the needs of COVID-19. These innovations and imitations have laudable features such as extremely rapid development of products (not merely concepts or prototypes); collaboration among individuals, institutions, and industry; willingness of players to work outside traditional comfort zones; and teamwork among stakeholders. Social media and lay press publicity create a sense of achievement and hope in a nation bogged down by the realities of COVID-19. However, these positive developments are associated with unique problems, especially duplication of effort, disregard of intellectual property (IP) issues, unhealthy competition amongst institutions, and failure to consider the needs for which solutions are proposed. The haste for developing products has bypassed the important steps of peer review, laboratory testing, and clinical validation to ensure the safety and efficacy of end users. These unintended side effects of the innovation race can be overcome by coordinated efforts through an innovation pathway proposed in this article under a broader innovation ecosystem.

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