ABSTRACT
The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created significant challenges to the delivery of care for patients with advanced head and neck cancer requiring multimodality therapy. Performing major head and neck ablative surgery and reconstruction is a particular concern given the extended duration and aerosolizing nature of these cases. In this manuscript, we describe our surgical approach to provide timely reconstructive care and minimize infectious risk to the providers, patients, and families.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Disease Transmission, Infectious/prevention & control , Head and Neck Neoplasms/surgery , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Pandemics/statistics & numerical data , Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Academic Medical Centers , COVID-19 , Clinical Decision-Making , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Female , Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology , Humans , Interdisciplinary Communication , Male , Neck Dissection/methods , Occupational Health , Pandemics/prevention & control , Patient Safety , Patient Selection , Pennsylvania , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Postoperative Care/methods , Preoperative Care/methods , Risk Assessment , Surgical Flaps/transplantationABSTRACT
Multidisciplinary conferences (MDC) are an important component of head and neck oncologic care including diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Virtual MDC allows for improved collaboration between providers at distant sites and proper allocation of health care resources in a time of crisis. When approached systematically, a virtual MDC is feasible to design and implement in a large academic medical center with multiple satellite hospitals.