Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Activity of Physicians Working in the Areas of Head and Neck Surgery and Otorhinolaryngology

Abstract Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute infection caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and it is highly transmissible, especially through respiratory droplets. To prepare the health system for the care of these patients also led to a restriction in the activity of several medical specialties. Physicians who work with patients affected by diseases of the head and neck region constitute one of the populations most vulnerable to COVID-19 and also most affected by the interruption of their professional activities. Objective The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the practice of head and neck surgeons and otorhinolaryngologists in Brazil. Methods An anonymous online survey of voluntary participation was applied, containing 30 questions regarding demographic aspects, availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), and impact on the routine of head and neck surgeons and otorhinolaryngologists, as well as clinical oncologists and radiation oncologists who work with head and neck diseases. Results Seven hundred and twenty-nine answers were received in a period of 4 days, ∼ 40 days after the 1st confirmed case in Brazil. With professionals working in public and private services, there was a high level of concerns with the disease and its consequences, limited availability of PPE and a significant decrease in the volume of specialized medical care. Conclusion The study demonstrated a direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical practice of specialties related to the treatment of patients with diseases of the head and neck region already in the beginning of the illness management in Brazil.

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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Head and Neck Surgery Training: A Brazilian National Survey

International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1730019 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ana Kober Leite ◽

Leandro Luongo Matos ◽

Claudio R. Cernea ◽

Luiz Paulo Kowalski

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Surgical Training ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Neck Surgery ◽

Head And Neck Surgery ◽

Educational Activities ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Surgery Training ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has had a high impact on surgical training around the world due to required measures regarding the suspension of elective procedures and the dismissal of nonessential personnel. Objectives To understand the impact the pandemic had on head and neck surgery training in Brazil. Methods We conducted a 29-question online survey with head and neck surgery residents in Brazil, assessing the impact the pandemic had on their training. Results Forty-six residents responded to the survey, and 91.3% of them reported that their residency was affected by the pandemic, but most residents were not assigned to work directly with patients infected with the new coronavirus (71.4%). All residents reported decrease in clinic visits and in surgical procedures, mostly an important reduction of ∼ 75%. A total of 56.5% of the residents described that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental, health and only 4 (8.7%) do not have any symptoms of burnout. The majority (78.3%) of the residents reported that educational activities were successfully adapted to online platforms, and 37% were personally infected with the virus. Conclusion Most surgical residencies were greatly affected by the pandemic, and residents had an important decrease in surgical training. Educational activities were successfully adapted to online modalities, but the residency programs should search for ways of trying to compensate for the loss of practical activities.

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Grisel’s Syndrome: A Rare Complication following Adenotonsillectomy

Case Reports in Otolaryngology ◽

10.1155/2014/703021 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Abdulkadir Bucak ◽

Sahin Ulu ◽

Abdullah Aycicek ◽

Emre Kacar ◽

Murat Cem Miman

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Imaging Techniques ◽

Rare Complication ◽

Neck Region ◽

Neck Surgery ◽

Upper Respiratory Tract ◽

Head And Neck Region ◽

Grisel’S Syndrome ◽

History Of ◽

Or History

Grisel’s syndrome is a nontraumatic atlantoaxial subluxation which is usually secondary of an infection or an inflammation at the head and neck region. It can be observed after surgery of head and neck region. Etiopathogenesis has not been clearly described yet, but increased looseness of paraspinal ligament is thought to be responsible. Patients typically present with painful torticollis. Diagnosis of Grisel’s syndrome is largely based on suspicion of the patient who has recently underwent surgery or history of infection in head and neck region. Physical examination and imaging techniques assist in diagnosis. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of acute nontraumatic torticollis after recently applied the head and neck surgery or undergone upper respiratory tract infection. In this paper, a case of an eight-year-old male patient who had Grisel’s syndrome after adenotonsillectomy is discussed with review of the literature.

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Dog Bite Injuries in the Head and Neck Region: A 20-Year Review

Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1660441 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 199-204 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Frederik Piccart ◽

JakobTitiaan Dormaar ◽

Ruxandra Coropciuc ◽

Joseph Schoenaers ◽

Michel Bila ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Secondary Infection ◽

Neck Region ◽

University Hospital ◽

Medical Attention ◽

Dog Bite ◽

Head And Neck Region ◽

Bite Wounds ◽

The Impact ◽

Bite Injuries

Dog bite-related wounds seem to have become a common problem, especially when they relate to the head and neck region. According to Overall and Love, up to 18 per 1,000 people sustain a dog bite every year, of whom 3 need medical attention. Approximately 1 to 2% of bite injuries require hospitalization of the victims. Most of the lacerations are found in the upper lip and the nose regions and they are classified according to severity and concomitant damage to other organs. Bite wounds are considered “dirty” wounds and are prone to infection. When dealing with bite wounds, there is always an indication for antibiotic treatment. Broad-spectrum antibiotics like amoxicillin-clavulanate and/or moxifloxacin cover most of the pathogenic flora and should be administered in every bite wound case at risk of infection. This article would like to present a medical record review: a retrospective analysis of all bite wounds sustained in the head and neck region, treated at the University Hospital of Leuven over the past 20 years. Furthermore, it provides an overview of the current literature and its standings on the treatment of dog bite injuries in the maxillofacial region. We assessed both surgical and medical treatment options, as well as primary management, which includes infection prevention strategies, closure management, and additional vaccination requirements. Secondary management or scar revision methods will be mentioned. After conducting a UZ Leuven database search using keywords such as “dog,” “dog bite,” “face,” “head,” “lip,” and others, 223 patients were included. Age at the time of injury, location of the injury, treatment method used, and whether secondary infection was present or not were documented. All patients have been divided in age groups. We concluded that 21.52% was 5 years old or younger. Almost half of our patients (49.33%) were 18 years old or younger. Of all patients, 79 were hospitalized (35.43%). Primary closure was the treatment of choice. In 141 patients, the wounds were closed primarily (63.23%), resulting in only 2.24% reported secondary infections. Only one fatality was reported in our center over the course of 20 years (0.45%), a 6-year-old girl who had been attacked by her father's Rottweilers. Most patients who sustained dog bite injuries in the head and neck region seem to be children, specifically toddlers. Due to their height, it is possible they are more prone to dog bite injuries in the head and neck region. It is essential to optimize management of these injuries due to the impact they have on patients. This article provides the epidemiological data and clinical outcome of the approach at our center.

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Current Evidence regarding Prophylactic Antibiotics in Head and Neck and Maxillofacial Surgery

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2014/879437 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Kilian Kreutzer ◽

Katharina Storck ◽

Jochen Weitz

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Prophylaxis ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Maxillofacial Surgery ◽

Neck Region ◽

Neck Surgery ◽

Prophylactic Antibiotics ◽

Head And Neck Surgery ◽

Current Evidence ◽

High Level ◽

Meta Analyses

Antibiotic prophylaxis is commonly used to decrease the rate of infections in head and neck surgery. The aim of this paper is to present the available evidence regarding the application of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical procedures of the head and neck region in healthy patients. A systemic literature review based on Medline and Embase databases was performed. All reviews and meta-analyses based on RCTs in English from 2000 to 2013 were included. Eight out of 532 studies fulfilled all requirements. Within those, only seven different operative procedures were analyzed. Evidence exists for the beneficial use of prophylactic antibiotics for tympanostomy, orthognathic surgery, and operative tooth extractions. Unfortunately, little high-level evidence exists regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics in head and neck surgery. In numerous cases, no clear benefit of antibiotic prophylaxis has been shown, particularly considering their potential adverse side effects. Antibiotics are often given unnecessarily and are administered too late and for too long. Furthermore, little research has been performed on the large number of routine cases in the above-mentioned areas of specialization within the last few years, although questions arising with respect to the treatment of high-risk patients or of specific infections are discussed on a broad base.

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Online residency training during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey of otolaryngology head and neck surgery program directors

Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery ◽

10.1186/s40463-021-00546-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jade Chénard-Roy ◽

Matthieu J. Guitton ◽

François Thuot

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Online Survey ◽

Neck Surgery ◽

Program Directors ◽

Head And Neck Surgery ◽

Distance Teaching ◽

Significant Drop ◽

Academic Activities ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted healthcare and education systems, including resident education. The impact of the pandemic on the different types of pedagogical activities, and the displacement of pedagogical activities to online modalities have not yet been quantified. We sought to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on formal pedagogic components of otorhinolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–HNS) residency, the switch to distance learning and program director’s perceptions of the future of teaching and learning. Methods A nationwide online survey was conducted on Canadian ORL–HNS program directors. The use of standard didactic activities in-person and online, before and during the pandemic was rated with Likert scales. Perceptions of the pandemic were described with open-ended questions. Results A total of 11 of the 13 program directors contacted responded. The analysis were conducted using nonparametric statistics. There was a significant drop in overall didactic activities during the pandemic, regardless of the teaching format (3.5 ± 0.2 to 3.1 ± 0.3, p < 0.05). The most affected activities were simulation and in-house lectures. Online activities increased dramatically (0.5 ± 0.2 to 5.0 ± 0.5, p < 0.001), including attendance to lectures made by other programs (0.5 ± 0.3 to 4.0 ± 0.8, p < 0.05). Respondents stated their intention to maintain the hybrid online and in-person teaching model. Conclusions These findings suggest that hybrid online and in-person teaching is likely to persist in the post-pandemic setting. A balanced residency curriculum requires diversity in academic activities. The pandemic can have positive consequences if higher education institutions work to better support distance teaching and learning. Graphical Abstract

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The impact of CBCT reconstruction and calibration for radiotherapy planning in the head and neck region – a phantom study

Acta Oncologica ◽

10.3109/0284186x.2014.927073 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 53 (8) ◽

pp. 1114-1124 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ulrik V. Elstrøm ◽

Sune R. K. Olsen ◽

Ludvig P. Muren ◽

Jørgen B. B. Petersen ◽

Cai Grau

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Region ◽

Phantom Study ◽

Radiotherapy Planning ◽

Head And Neck Region ◽

The Impact

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Clinico-Pathological Profile of Benign Cervico-Facial Masses In Eastern Nepal

Health Renaissance ◽

10.3126/hren.v12i3.15254 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 162-169

Author(s):

Rupesh Raj Joshi ◽

A Nepal ◽

S Bhandary ◽

S T Chhetri ◽

S Karki

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Region ◽

Neck Surgery ◽

Head And Neck Region ◽

Neck Masses ◽

Clinicopathological Profile ◽

Common Clinical Presentation ◽

The Common ◽

Head Neck Surgery ◽

Developmental Malformations

Background :Head and neck region is a common site for both solid and cystic lesions. The etiology of these masses includes inflammation, congenital-developmental malformations and neoplasia. Thyroglossal cyst, branchial cyst and laryngocoele are the common congenital and acquired conditions.Objective: To assess clinicopathological profile of benign cervico-facial masses in Eastern Nepal.Methods: Patients who were admitted with cervical swellings were included for the study. Acute inflammatory and malignant conditions were excluded. This study was conducted for five years at Department of ENT and Head Neck Surgery, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.Results: Out of total 499 patients included, female were 64.53% and male were 35.47%. Most patients (23%) were from between age 21-30 years. The cervical swellings were most commonly seen in upper lateral neck in 30.46%. Most of the patients (67.13%) presented within 2 years of the appearance of the swelling. Sixty-one percent of the swelling were of the size of 5 cm x 4 cm at presentation. Congenital and developmental malformations were seen in 27.65% Cysts other than developmental were found in 17.02%. The acquired benign lesions were seen in 55.31%.The swelling due to the diseases of the thyroid were found in 38.28%. The most common surgical management was thyroidectomy, done in 38.28%.Conclusion: Benign neck masses are common clinical presentation in the general population in eastern Nepal as in any head and neck clinics all over the world and present a challenge both to the clinician as well as the surgeon.Health Renaissance 2014;12(3): 162-169

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