Early institutional head and neck oncologic and microvascular surgery practice patterns across the United States during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19) pandemic
Research article published in Head & neck (2020)
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused rapid changes in head and neck cancer (HNC) care. "Real-time" methods to monitor practice patterns can optimize provider safety and patient care. METHODS: Head and neck surgeons from 14 institutions in the United States regularly contributed their practice patterns to a shared spreadsheet. Data from 27 March 2020 to 5 April 2020 was analyzed. RESULTS: All institutions had significantly restricted HNC clinic evaluations. Two institutions stopped free-flap surgery with the remaining scheduling surgery by committee review. Factors contributing to reduced clinical volume included lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) (35%) and lack of rapid COVID-19 testing (86%). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a reduction in HNC care. Rapid COVID-19 testing and correlation with infectious potential remain paramount to resuming the care of patients with head and neck cancer. Cloud-based platforms to share practice patterns will be essential as the pandemic evolves.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Peer-reviewed clinical and outcomes research relevant to medicinal leech therapy and its biology. Indexed in PubMed and verified against the NCBI record.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This cross-sectional practice-pattern survey pooled data from head-and-neck surgeons at 14 US institutions in late March/early April 2020 and found that all institutions sharply restricted head-and-neck cancer clinic evaluations, two stopped free-flap surgery, and reduced volume was driven in part by lack of personal protective equipment (35%) and lack of rapid COVID-19 testing (86%) during the early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Its connection to hirudotherapy is only situational: it documents disruption to the free-flap reconstructive surgery in which medicinal leeches are sometimes used adjunctively, but it does not examine flap salvage or leech therapy in any way. This should be treated as a low-relevance contextual record on pandemic-era surgical logistics, not as clinical evidence for or against hirudotherapy.
Citation
Early institutional head and neck oncologic and microvascular surgery practice patterns across the United States during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19) pandemic.
Patel et al. · Head & neck, 2020
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