Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the prevalence and management of many pediatric infectious diseases, including acute otitis media (AOM). Coronaviruses are a group of RNA viruses that cause respiratory tract infections in humans. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, coron...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.749911/full |
| _version_ | 1818894385874468864 |
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| author | Tal Marom Jacob Pitaro Udayan K. Shah Udayan K. Shah Sara Torretta Sara Torretta Paola Marchisio Paola Marchisio Ayan T. Kumar Patrick C. Barth Patrick C. Barth Sharon Ovnat Tamir |
| author_facet | Tal Marom Jacob Pitaro Udayan K. Shah Udayan K. Shah Sara Torretta Sara Torretta Paola Marchisio Paola Marchisio Ayan T. Kumar Patrick C. Barth Patrick C. Barth Sharon Ovnat Tamir |
| author_sort | Tal Marom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the prevalence and management of many pediatric infectious diseases, including acute otitis media (AOM). Coronaviruses are a group of RNA viruses that cause respiratory tract infections in humans. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, coronavirus serotypes OC43, 229E, HKU1, and NL63 were infrequently detected in middle ear fluid (MEF) specimens and nasopharyngeal aspirates in children with AOM during the 1990s and 2000s and were associated with a mild course of the disease. At times when CoV was detected in OM cases, the overall viral load was relatively low. The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen responsible for the eruption of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Following the pandemic declaration in many countries and by the World Health Organization in March 2020, preventive proactive measures were imposed to limit COVID-19. These included social distancing; lockdowns; closure of workplaces; kindergartens and schools; increased hygiene; use of antiseptics and alcohol-based gels; frequent temperature measurements and wearing masks. These measures were not the only ones taken, as hospitals and clinics tried to minimize treating non-urgent medical referrals such as OM, and elective surgical procedures were canceled, such as ventilating tube insertion (VTI). These changes and regulations altered the way OM is practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advents in technology allowed a vast use of telemedicine technologies for OM, however, the accuracy of AOM diagnosis in those encounters was in doubt, and antibiotic prescription rates were still reported to be high. There was an overall decrease in AOM episodes and admissions rates and with high spontaneous resolution rates of MEF in children, and a reduction in VTI surgeries. Despite an initial fear regarding viral shedding during myringotomy, the procedure was shown to be safe. Special draping techniques for otologic surgery were suggested. Other aspects of OM practice included the presentation of adult patients with AOM who tested positive for SARS-2-CoV and its detection in MEF samples in living patients and in the mucosa of the middle ear and mastoid in post-mortem specimens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T18:27:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8e607cc0966045aca61c6d1788812f3c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2235-2988 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T18:27:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8e607cc0966045aca61c6d1788812f3c2022-12-21T20:10:48ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology2235-29882022-01-011110.3389/fcimb.2021.749911749911Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 PandemicTal Marom0Jacob Pitaro1Udayan K. Shah2Udayan K. Shah3Sara Torretta4Sara Torretta5Paola Marchisio6Paola Marchisio7Ayan T. Kumar8Patrick C. Barth9Patrick C. Barth10Sharon Ovnat Tamir11Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, Ben Gurion University Faculty of Health Sciences, Ashdod, IsraelDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shamir Medical Center (formerly Assaf Harofeh Medical Center), Zerifin, Israel, affiliated to the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelPediatric Otolaryngology, Delaware Valley, and Enterprise Chief of Credentialing, Nemours Children’s Health System, Wilmington, DE, United StatesDepartments of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesFondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartments of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States0Pediatric Otolaryngology, Delaware Valley Nemours Children’s Health System, Wilmington, DE, United StatesDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, Ben Gurion University Faculty of Health Sciences, Ashdod, IsraelThe global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the prevalence and management of many pediatric infectious diseases, including acute otitis media (AOM). Coronaviruses are a group of RNA viruses that cause respiratory tract infections in humans. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, coronavirus serotypes OC43, 229E, HKU1, and NL63 were infrequently detected in middle ear fluid (MEF) specimens and nasopharyngeal aspirates in children with AOM during the 1990s and 2000s and were associated with a mild course of the disease. At times when CoV was detected in OM cases, the overall viral load was relatively low. The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen responsible for the eruption of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Following the pandemic declaration in many countries and by the World Health Organization in March 2020, preventive proactive measures were imposed to limit COVID-19. These included social distancing; lockdowns; closure of workplaces; kindergartens and schools; increased hygiene; use of antiseptics and alcohol-based gels; frequent temperature measurements and wearing masks. These measures were not the only ones taken, as hospitals and clinics tried to minimize treating non-urgent medical referrals such as OM, and elective surgical procedures were canceled, such as ventilating tube insertion (VTI). These changes and regulations altered the way OM is practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advents in technology allowed a vast use of telemedicine technologies for OM, however, the accuracy of AOM diagnosis in those encounters was in doubt, and antibiotic prescription rates were still reported to be high. There was an overall decrease in AOM episodes and admissions rates and with high spontaneous resolution rates of MEF in children, and a reduction in VTI surgeries. Despite an initial fear regarding viral shedding during myringotomy, the procedure was shown to be safe. Special draping techniques for otologic surgery were suggested. Other aspects of OM practice included the presentation of adult patients with AOM who tested positive for SARS-2-CoV and its detection in MEF samples in living patients and in the mucosa of the middle ear and mastoid in post-mortem specimens.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.749911/fullotitis mediaCOVID-19coronavirus infectionadmissionburden analysisacute otitis media |
| spellingShingle | Tal Marom Jacob Pitaro Udayan K. Shah Udayan K. Shah Sara Torretta Sara Torretta Paola Marchisio Paola Marchisio Ayan T. Kumar Patrick C. Barth Patrick C. Barth Sharon Ovnat Tamir Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology otitis media COVID-19 coronavirus infection admission burden analysis acute otitis media |
| title | Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | otitis media practice during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | otitis media COVID-19 coronavirus infection admission burden analysis acute otitis media |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.749911/full |
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