ENT management of children with adenotonsillar disease during COVID-19 pandemic. Ready to start again?

Sara Torretta; Pasquale Capaccio; Michele Gaffuri; Lorenzo Maria Gaini; Marco Borin; Antonella Maruca; Ludovica Battilocchi; Letizia Nitro; Paola Marchisio; Lorenzo Pignataro

doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.110145

ENT management of children with adenotonsillar disease during COVID-19 pandemic. Ready to start again?

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2020 Nov:138:110145. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.110145. Epub 2020 May 28.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: sara.torretta@unimi.it.
² Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Biomedical Surgical Dental Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
³ Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
⁵ Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in children are milder, but the real burden of disease is unknown. After the lockdown, in our Region Lombardia we have been requested to progressively resume medical services including outpatient assessment and priority surgery. Therefore, we screened surgical waiting lists with identification of 47 children candidates to priority surgery (among 358). No homogeneous national health surveillance/screening programs are ongoing or have been conceived to test susceptible population among children/healthcare workers in preparation of coming down to routinely daily activities, and diagnostic strategies are not completely accurate in children. So, restoring medical services now might be untimely.

Keywords: Adenoid; Adenoidectomy; Coronavirus; Infection; Otitis; SARS-CoV-2; Tonsil.

Publication types

Editorial

MeSH terms

Betacoronavirus*
COVID-19
Child
Coronavirus Infections*
Delivery of Health Care*
Health Personnel
Humans
Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases / therapy*
Pandemics*
Pneumonia, Viral*
SARS-CoV-2