1. Head and neck surgery during the coronavirus-19 pandemic: The University of California San Francisco experience.
- Author
-
Wai KC, Xu MJ, Lee RH, El-Sayed IH, George JR, Heaton CM, Knott PD, Park AM, Ryan WR, Seth R, and Ha PK
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Databases, Factual, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neck Dissection statistics & numerical data, Operative Time, Parotid Gland surgery, Retrospective Studies, San Francisco, Thyroidectomy statistics & numerical data, Treatment Outcome, COVID-19, Head and Neck Neoplasms surgery, Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures statistics & numerical data, Plastic Surgery Procedures statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
Background: Guidelines regarding head and neck surgical care have evolved during the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Data on operative management have been limited., Methods: We compared two cohorts of patients undergoing head and neck or reconstructive surgery between March 16, 2019 and April 16, 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and March 16, 2020 and April 16, 2020 (COVID-19) at an academic center. Perioperative, intraoperative, and postoperative outcomes were recorded., Results: There were 63 operations during COVID-19 and 84 operations during pre-COVID-19. During COVID-19, a smaller proportion of patients had benign pathology (12% vs 20%, respectively) and underwent thyroid procedures (2% vs 23%) while a greater proportion of patients underwent microvascular reconstruction±ablation (24% vs 12%,). Operative times increased, especially among patients undergoing microvascular reconstruction±ablation (687 ± 112 vs 596 ± 91 minutes, P = .04). Complication rates and length of stay were similar., Conclusions: During COVID-19, perioperative outcomes were similar, operative time increased, and there were no recorded transmissions to staff or patients. Continued surgical management of head and neck cancer patients can be provided safely., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF