Laryngoscopic Examination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Turkish Voice Speech and Swallowing Disorders Society and Turkish Professional Voice Society Recommendations

Turk Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2020;58(4):274-278

DOI: 10.5152/tao.2020.5719

1. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey

2. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Marmara University, İstanbul, Turkey

3. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Yeditepe University School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey

4. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Fulya Acıbadem Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

5. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, İstanbul Cerrahi Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

6. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, İbni Sina Hospital, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

7. Private Practice, İzmir, Turkey

8. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Lor Hospital, Baku, Azerbaijan

9. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Sakarya, Turkey

10. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ufuk University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

11. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medicana Hospital, Konya, Turkey

12. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Gaziosmanpaşa Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

13. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kocaeli University School of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey

14. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Dışkapı Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

15. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Başkent University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

16. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Maltepe University School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey

17. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Uludağ University School of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey

18. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Private Practice, Ankara, Turkey

19. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Bakırköy Acıbadem Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

No information available.

No information available

Received Date: 25.06.2020

Accepted Date: 15.09.2020

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ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is highly transmissible and spreads rapidly in the population. This increases the occupational risk for health care workers. In otolaryngology clinic practice, patients with upper respiratory tract infection symptoms are common. Also, routine head and neck examinations such as oral cavity examination, nasal/nasopharyngeal examination, or video laryngostroboscopic evaluation are highly risky because of the aerosol formation. To emphasize this issue, two leading otolaryngology organizations in Turkey; 'Voice Speech and Swallowing Disorders Society', and 'Professional Voice Society' gathered a task force. This task force aimed to prepare a consensus report that would provide practical recommendations of the safety measurements during routine clinical care of laryngology patients. To fulfill this, universal aim, on the 2nd and 9th of May 2020, two web-based meetings were conducted by 20 expert physicians. This eighteen items list was prepared as an output.

Keywords:

Laryngoscopy, endoscopic examination, COVID-19, pandemic, universal precautions