Is 2020 the golden year of Otolaryngology research? The impact of COVID-19 on the Italian academic production.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this research was to review the articles published by the Otolaryngology (ORL) departments of the Italian University Hospitals in 2019 and in 2020 in order to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic production. METHODS: PubMed and Scopus were searched for the articles published by the ORL departments of the Italian Universities in 2019 and in 2020. The main eligibility criteria were English-language articles, while there were no exclusion criteria related to topic. The articles were classified into seven domains corresponding to the main ORL subspecialties. RESULTS: There was an overall increase in the number of articles by the 42.2% in 2020. Publications pertaining Rhinology and Laryngology increased more significantly in 2020, respectively by the 50.5% and 72.2%. Additionally, there was an increase in the number of articles concerning topics of general interest, by the 95.2% in 2020. Also, the citation trends of the articles published by the Italian University Hospitals increased remarkably in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: These results evidenced an overall increase in the number of ORL articles. Although 2020 is going to be remembered as a year to forget, it should be acknowledged for being the "golden year of research".

Managing head and neck cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: the experience of a tertiary referral center in southern Italy.

BACKGROUND: The medical community has been deeply involved in fighting the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and, as a consequence, the care of non-COVID-19 patients has been impacted. However, the treatment of head and neck cancer patients is not deferrable, and an integrated strategy is required. The aim of the current article is to present the experience in the management of head and neck patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at the research hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza". This review contains replicable and widely usable instructions on how to avoid delays in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck tumors and to ensure a gradual return to elective procedures. MAIN TEXT: The Head and Neck Department of the research hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" includes an Otolaryngology and a Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, both of which deal with the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant pathologies of the head and neck, as well as urgent/emergent consultations and surgical procedures that necessitate time sensitive operative management, such as cochlear implantation (CI). Given these premises and the complexity of the Department, the "COVID-19 organizing protocol" of the research hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" was divided into two phases in accordance with the different stages of the pandemic and the priority of treatment. Special attention was given to the medical surveillance of health care workers and hospitalized patients, to the organization of the outpatient clinic and the operating setting as well as to the implementation of telehealth systems. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic is going to be a long-term situation with lasting effects on the public health and the entire society. Therefore, an efficient health care system has to adopt a double strategy: always being ready for a "new wave" of the pandemic and not forgetting non-COVID-19 patients, among whom head and neck cancer patients represent a priority. More than 1 year since the first outbreak in Wuhan, this review offers a unique and helpful perspective that incorporates awareness of the disease.