Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38085305›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2024

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic: increase in complicated upper respiratory tract infections requiring ENT surgery?

Jonas Galli, Sean C Sheppard, Marco Caversaccio, Lukas Anschuetz, Sven Beckmann

Erratum issuedOpen access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Post-Pandemic Surge in Complications of Acute Otitis Media.Turkish archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jonas GalliDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0902-5656
Sean C SheppardDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6427-3102
Marco CaversaccioDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7090-8087
Lukas Anschuetz *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6927-0664
Sven Beckmann *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland. sven.beckmann@insel.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4305-2658
University of Bern · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on complicated upper respiratory tract infections requiring surgical intervention in a tertiary referral center. The aim is to understand the consequences of pandemic-related measures and their subsequent relaxation on the incidence and characteristics of upper respiratory tract infection-related complications.

methodsPatients who underwent surgery as a complication of upper respiratory tract infections between December 2014 to February 2023 were included. Demographic information, surgical procedures, microbiological findings, and clinical outcomes were assessed and analyzed comparing pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic groups.

results321 patients were enrolled, including 105 patients (32.7%) in the pediatric population. Comparison of pre-pandemic (n = 210), pandemic (n = 46) and post-pandemic periods (n = 65) revealed a statistically significant increase in complicated otologic infections requiring surgical intervention in the post-pandemic period compared to the pandemic period (p value = 0.03). No statistically significant differences in other surgical procedures or demographic parameters were observed. A statistically significant increase in urgent ear surgery in the pediatric population between the pandemic and the post-pandemic period (p value = 0.02) was observed. Beta-hemolytic group A streptococcal infections showed a statistically significant increase in the post-pandemic period compared with the pandemic period (p value = 0.02).

conclusionsRelaxation of COVID-19-related restrictions was associated with an increase of upper respiratory tract infection-related otologic infections requiring surgical intervention with an increasing rate of beta-hemolytic group A streptococcal infections. These findings highlight the importance of considering the impact of the pandemic on upper respiratory tract infection complications and adapting management strategies accordingly.

Indexed as

COVID-19Nose DiseasesRespiratory Tract InfectionsStreptococcal InfectionsChildHumansPandemicsCOVID-19 pandemicMicrobial profileSurgical interventionUpper respiratory tract infection-related complicationsUpper respiratory tract infections

Identifiers

PMID38085305
PMCPMC10857962
OpenAlexW4389618890

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.