Safety precautions for otorhinolaryngologists during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

  • Soumick Ranjan Sahoo Department of ENT, ESIC Model Hospital, Beltola, Guwahati, Assam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20203590

Keywords:

COVID-19, Otorhinolaryngology, Fever, Aerosol

Abstract

As COVID rapidly spreads through respiratory droplets, health care workers who perform aerosol generating diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such as otolaryngologists–head and neck surgeons, are particularly at risk. In the article guidelines regarding attending a patient in ENT OPD and emergency, endoscopy examination, taking biopsy, operation theatre (OT) setting and precautions and guidelines to be followed while doing ENT and head and neck operations have been discussed based on review of literature.

Author Biography

Soumick Ranjan Sahoo, Department of ENT, ESIC Model Hospital, Beltola, Guwahati, Assam

ENT SURGEON ENT DEPARTMENT

References

Givi B, Schiff BA, Chinn SB, Clayburgh D, Iyer NG, Jalisi S, et al. Safety recommendations for evaluation and surgery of the head and neck during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;146(6):579-84.

The Lancet. COVID-19: protecting health-care workers. Lancet. 2020;395(10228):922.

Shakrawal N, Rajan N. The perils of COVID-19 for otorhinolaryngologists: an overview. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;1-5.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission of People Republic of China. The prevention and control standards of airbrone transmitted nosocomial infection. 2016. Available at: http://www.whcdc.org/wcs/Upload/201808/5b84eeb4d8b5b.pdf. Accessed on 25 May 2020.

Wei Q, Ren Z. The disinfection measures of 2019-nCoV epidemic focus. Chin J Disinfection. 2020;37(1):59-62.

Ni XG. The control procedure of nasopharyngolarygnoscope examination during COVID-19 outbreak. 2020. Available at: http://wx.entlianmeng.com/info/view/534?rZ1234. Accessed on 20 May 2020.

General office of the National Health Commission. The Transmission Route and Prevention Manual of COVID-19. 2020. Available at: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/jkj/s3578/202001/9e73060017d744aeafff8834fc0389f4.shtml. Accessed on 20 May 2020.

Xu K, Lai X, Liu Z. Suggestions on the prevention of COVID-19 for health care workers in department of otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery, World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2020.

General office of the National Health Commission. The diagnosis and treatment protocol of COVID-19 (the temporary sixth edition). 2020. Available at: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s7653p/202002/8334a8326dd94d329df351d7da8aefc2/files/. Accessed on 20 May 2020.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Interim infection prevention and control recommendations for patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in healthcare settings. 2020. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/ infection-control/control-recommend-ations.html. Accessed on 23 March 2020.

Zou L, Ruan F, Huang M, Liang L, Huang H, Hong Z, et al. SARS-CoV-2 viral load in upper respiratory specimens of infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(12):1177-9.

van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, Holbrook MG, Gamble A, Williamson BN, et al. Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(16):1564-7.

Guidelines for safe ENT practice in COVID 19. 2020. Available at: https://www.mohfw. gov.in/pdf/ENTCOVID0306/pdf. Accessed on 03 June 2020.

Infection prevention and control guidelines for 2019-nCoV (COVID-19). 2020. Available at: https://www.aiims.edu/images/pdf/notice/Updated_COVID_19_HIC_SUPPLEMENT__VERSION_ 1.2. Accessed on 30 March 2020.

COVID-19: Guidelines on disinfection of common public places including offices. Available at: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Guidelinesondisinfectionofcommonpublicplacesincludingoffice. Accessed on 20 May 2020.

Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities. 2008. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/. Accessed on 10 May 2020.

American College of Surgeons. COVID-19: guidance for triage of non-emergent surgical procedures. Available at: https://www.facs.org/ covid-19/clinical-guidance/triage. Accessed on 23 March 2020.

Zheng MH, Boni L, Fingerhut A. Minimally invasive surgery and the novel coronavirus outbreak: lessons learned in China and Italy. Ann Surg. 2020;272(1):5-6.

Patel ZM, Miranda JF, Hwang PH, Nayak JV, Dodd R, Sajjadi H, et al. Letter: precautions for endoscopic transnasal skull base surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neurosurgery. 2020.

Isakbaeva ET, Khetsuriani N, Beard RS, Peck A, Erdman D, Monroe SS, et al. SARS investigation group. SARS-associated coronavirus transmission, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10(2):225-31.

Ding Y, He L, Zhang Q, Che X, Hou J, Wang H, Shen H, et al. Organ distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in SARS patients: implications for pathogenesis and virus transmission pathways. J Pathol. 2004;203(2):622-30.

Pitkäranta A, Virolainen A, Jero J, Arruda E, Hayden FG. Detection of rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and coronavirus infections in acuteotitis media by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Pediatrics. 1998;102(2):291-5.

Heikkinen T, Thint M, Chonmaitree T. Prevalence of various respiratory viruses in the middle ear during acute otitis media. N Engl J Med.1999;340(4):260-4.

Murthy S, Gomersall CD, Fowler RA. Care for critically ill patients with COVID-19. JAMA. 2020;325(15):1499-500.

Tay JK, Khoo MLC, Loh WS. Surgical considerations for tracheostomy during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. JAMA. 2020;146(6):517-8.

Young D, Harrison DA, Cuthbertson BH, Rowan K. Effect of early versus late tracheostomy placement on survival in patients receiving mechanical ventilation: the TracMan randomized trial. JAMA. 2013;309(20):2121-9.

Downloads

Published

2020-08-25

Issue

Section

Review Articles