Managing intensive care admissions when there are not enough beds during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.

The surge in cases of severe COVID-19 has resulted in clinicians triaging intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in places where demand has exceeded capacity. In order to assist difficult triage decisions, clinicians require clear guidelines on how to prioritise patients. Existing guidelines show significant variability in their development, interpretation, implementation and an urgent need for a robust synthesis of published guidance. To understand how to manage which patients are admitted to ICU, and receive mechanical ventilatory support, during periods of high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, a systematic review was performed. Databases of indexed literature (Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Global Health) and grey literature (Google.com and MedRxiv), published from 1 January until 2 April 2020, were searched. Search terms included synonyms of COVID-19, ICU, ventilation, and triage. Only formal written guidelines were included. There were no exclusion criteria based on geographical location or publication language. Quality appraisal of the guidelines was performed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation Instrument II (AGREE II) and the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation Instrument Recommendation EXcellence (AGREE REX) appraisal tools, and key themes related to triage were extracted using narrative synthesis. Of 1902 unique records identified, nine relevant guidelines were included. Six guidelines were national or transnational level guidance (UK, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand, Italy, and Sri Lanka), with one state level (Kansas, USA), one international (Extracorporeal Life Support Organization) and one specific to military hospitals (Department of Defense, USA). The guidelines covered several broad themes: use of ethical frameworks, criteria for ICU admission and discharge, adaptation of criteria as demand changes, equality across health conditions and healthcare systems, decision-making processes, communication of decisions, and guideline development processes. We have synthesised the current guidelines and identified the different approaches taken globally to manage the triage of intensive care resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is limited consensus on how to allocate the finite resource of ICU beds and ventilators, and a lack of high-quality evidence and guidelines on resource allocation during the pandemic. We have developed a set of factors to consider when developing guidelines for managing intensive care admissions, and outlined implications for clinical leads and local implementation.

An "Uncrimped" SMart Stapes Prosthesis: A Cause of Late Hearing Deterioration in Otosclerosis.

Statement of Problem. Stapedotomy is the treatment of choice for otosclerosis. Numerous techniques and prosthesis are available to perform this procedure. Success rates of surgery vary from 17% to 80%, and revision surgery carries an increased risk of complications as well as poorer hearing outcomes. Method of Study. Case report. Results. We report the first case of uncrimping of a SMart stapes prosthesis with no lateral displacement as a cause of late failure despite successful crimping and improvement in audiological outcomes after initial surgery. Conclusion. The SMart stapes prosthesis is widely used and has been shown to be safe and provide good hearing outcomes. Displacement of a stapes prosthesis is the commonest cause of failure. Our case shows that deterioration of hearing thresholds can occur from uncrimping of the prosthesis with no displacement. It is important to improve our understanding of stapedotomy failure as revision procedures are associated with poorer outcomes.

Consent processes in common nose and throat procedures.

The NHS Plan identified the need for changes in consent practice, and led to the issuing of a model consent policy and standard consent forms for use in the NHS. The aim of this study was to determine current consent practices for common rhinology and laryngology procedures. A telephone survey was conducted of 40 otolaryngology Senior House Officers (SHOs) across England and Wales, asking about local consent procedure, and the specific complications discussed before common operations. The responsibility for routine consenting belonged to SHOs in 95 per cent of departments. Model NHS consent forms were used in 72.5 per cent and information sheets given to patients in 25 per cent of departments. The specific operative risks mentioned to patients by the SHOs showed great variability. The provision of standardized consent protocols for each operation, together with information sheets and the model NHS forms, could aid juniors involved in consent and prove beneficial to our patients.