Impact of COVID-19 on otolaryngology in Italy: a commentary from the COVID-19 task force of the young otolaryngologists of the Italian Society of Otolaryngology

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 is having a dramatic effect on most medical disciplines. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery is one of the most engaged disciplines, and otolaryngology specialists are facing a radical change of their role and daily activities that will have severe impact on the return to the ordinary. In this paper, the COVID-19 Task Force of the Young Otolaryngologists of the Italian Society of Otolaryngology comment on the changes that occurred for otolaryngology in Italy during the pandemic with a special focus on the organizational rearrangement of Otolaryngology Units, including merges and closures that affected a significant portion of them; the reallocation of otolaryngology personnel, mainly to COVID-19 wards; the significant reduction of elective clinical and surgical activity, that was mainly limited to oncology and emergency procedures; and the execution of screening procedures for SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare providers and patients in otolaryngology units in Italy

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Italian Otolaryngology Units: a nationwide study

Objective. The aim of this study was to provide an accurate picture of the changes which have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the contributions given by Italian Otolaryngology Units. Methods. A 29-item questionnaire was completed and returned by 154 Otorhinolaryngology Units across Italy. This investigated their geographic distribution involvement, the main changes which occurred in workload management and in clinical and surgical activities, and the screening procedures for COVID-19 in healthcare personnel and patients. Results. Nearly half of the Otolaryngology Units that responded to the questionnaire were merged with other units, while 22% were converted into COVID-19 units or temporarily closed. A reduction of 8.55% in the number of team members was reported, and about 50% of the units applied uniform work shifts for all staff. Elective activities were uniformly stopped or delayed, passing from 30,295 (pre-COVID data) to 5,684 (COVID data) weekly procedures, with a mean decrease of 81.24% (p<0.001). Conclusions. Most of the elective otolaryngology activities were suspended during the pandemic; the only procedures were for oncology and emergency patients. Italian Otolaryngologists have demonstrated a high availability to collaborate with non-surgery colleagues

Immediate Implant-based Breast Reconstruction with Acellular Dermal Matrix Compared with Tissue-expander Breast Reconstruction: Rate of Infection

Background:. The risk of infection continues to be a subject of discussion within the field of implant-based breast reconstruction. Studies have shown the feasibility of immediate single-stage procedures with acellular dermal matrix (ADM), yet 2-stage tissue expander techniques continue to be the procedure most often performed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative infections and to identify associated predictors. Methods:. A retrospective study at Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital was conducted between 2013 and 2017. Patients’ demographic data were compared between single-stage and 2-stage procedures. Rate of infection and predictors were examined. Minor infections could be treated by oral antibiotics only, major infections required inpatient treatment. Healing was considered a successful treatment with antibiotics only, whereas any supplementary surgical intervention resulting in the preservation of an implant device was considered salvage. Breast reconstruction was defined a failure in case of implant loss or need for autologous reconstruction. Results:. Three hundred ninety-three patients underwent 336 monolateral and 57 bilateral implant-based breast reconstruction. Ninety-two patients had a submuscular direct-to-implant reconstruction with ADM with an infection rate of 11.4% compared with an infection rate of 7.8% among the 268 patients with a 2-stage tissue expander procedure. Beta-binomial regression showed obesity and preoperative radiotherapy as significant predictors for infection (OR, 4.65, P = 0.038, and OR, 7.13, P = 0.015, respectively). Average time of onset of infection among the submuscular direct-to-implant with ADM group was 67.1 days compared with 80.1 days among tissue-expander group with postoperative chemotherapy and preoperative radiotherapy having a significant effect on time of infection onset (P = 0.014, P = 0.034, respectively). Conclusions:. Direct-to-implant breast reconstruction with ADM is a procedure with acceptable risks of infection in comparison to tissue expander procedures. A profound patient selection pre- and intraoperatively is the basis of successful breast reconstruction