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Multicenter Study
. 2020 Dec;40(6):399-404.
doi: 10.14639/0392-100X-N1036. Epub 2020 Nov 24.

ENT surgical emergencies during the COVID-19 outbreak

Vito Pontillo  1 , Lucia Iannuzzi  1 , Paolo Petrone  2 , Pasqua Irene Sciancalepore  1   2 , Carlo D'Auria  3 , Massimo Rinaldi  1   3 , Giusi Graziano  4 , Nicola Quaranta  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

ENT surgical emergencies during the COVID-19 outbreak

Vito Pontillo et al. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2020 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Italian

Introduction: The restrictive measures adopted by the Italian Government during the COVID-19 outbreak caused dramatic changes in routine public health care. Surprisingly, emergency activity also registered a reduction in frequency.

Methods: This multicentre retrospective study aims to investigate eventual changes in ENT surgical emergencies in a highly populated area of southern Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data concerning the period between the February 1 and the May 31, 2020 were collected from the main three hospitals in the district and compared with the same period of 2019.

Results: A substantial reduction was found in the number of ENT emergency interventions in 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, particularly in the main lockdown phase and in the tertiary referral centre.

Conclusions: The reduction in the absolute number of emergency ENT interventions can be only partially explained by social distancing and home confinement. We have reason to believe that some of these patients may have not sought medical support due to fear of nosocomial SARS-CoV2 infection. This study could represent a trigger for further implementation of health system responses to emergencies in a period of transition that is likely to last for a prolonged period of time.

Le urgenze chirurgiche otorinolaringoiatriche durante l’epidemia di COVID-19.

Introduzione: Le misure restrittive adottate in Italia durante la pandemia di COVID-19 hanno determinato uno stravolgimento delle attività medico chirurgiche. Inaspettatamente, anche le prestazioni urgenti hanno registrato una riduzione.

Metodi: Abbiamo retrospettivamente confrontato le urgenze chirurgiche ORL eseguite nei tre principali ospedali della Provincia di Bari nel periodo compreso tra il 1° febbraio e il 31 maggio del 2020 con quelle dello stesso periodo del 2019.

Risultati: È stata riscontrata una importante riduzione nel numero di interventi nel 2020 rispetto all’anno precedente, in particolare nella fase del lockdown vero e proprio e nel centro di riferimento terziario.

Conclusioni: La riduzione del numero di urgenze chirurgiche ORL può essere solo parzialmente spiegata dal distanziamento sociale e dal confinamento domiciliare imposti dalle misure restrittive. Abbiamo motivo di credere che alcuni pazienti potrebbero aver evitato l’assistenza medica per paura di contrarre l’infezione nosocomiale da SARS-CoV2. Questo primo studio potrebbe avviare un processo di implementazione del sistema di risposta alle urgenze ORL che sarebbe auspicabile in un periodo di transizione potenzialmente duraturo.

Keywords: COVID-19; ENT; emergency; outbreak; surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Phases of the study based on the main restrictive and easing decrees by the Italian Government.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Number of emergency interventions by subperiod in 2019 (blue) and 2020 (red).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Graphical representation of the relationship between surgical emergencies and new COVID-19 cases per week in the Province of Bari.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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