Otitis media with effusion and hearing loss in Chinese children with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of otitis media with effusion and the associated hearing loss, the rate of ventilation tube insertion, and complications of ventilation tube insertion in Chinese cleft palate patients. DESIGN: Retrospective review in a tertiary care hospital in Hong Kong. PATIENTS: A total of 104 consecutive patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate who were born between January 1996 and January 2006. RESULTS: The incidence of otitis media with effusion in Chinese cleft palate patients for the first 2 years after birth was 76.1%. Of these patients, 16.9% had otitis media with effusion associated with a moderate hearing loss (>40 decibels hearing level [dBHL]). Approximately half (53.2%) of our patients had ventilation tube insertion. Complications including retraction, tympanosclerosis, and perforation of the tympanic membrane were found in 15.7% of all ears with otitis media with effusion and ventilation tube insertion. CONCLUSIONS: The high incidence of otitis media with effusion in cleft palate infants found in this study is consistent with that reported in the Western literature. A small but significant proportion of otitis media with effusion was associated with moderate hearing loss that truly required surgical treatment. Cleft palate children are much more likely to develop otitis media with effusion than normal children, and they develop the condition at an earlier age. A protocol for the treatment of otitis media with effusion in cleft palate patients and further prospective studies are warranted.

Pearls of experience for safe and efficient hospital practices in otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery in Hong Kong during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic originated in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly worldwide, leading the World Health Organization to declare an official global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In Hong Kong, clinicians and other healthcare personnel collaborated closely to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and minimize the cross-transmission of disease among hospital staff members. In the field of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) and its various subspecialties, contingency plans were required for patient bookings in outpatient clinics, surgeries in operating rooms, protocols in wards and other services. Infected patients may shed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) particles into their environments via body secretions. Therefore, otolaryngologists and other healthcare personnel in this specialty face a high risk of contracting COVID-19 and must remain vigilant when performing examinations and procedures involving the nose and throat. In this article, we share our experiences of the planning and logistics undertaken to provide safe and efficient OHNS practices over the last 2 months, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that our experiences will serve as pearls for otolaryngologists and other healthcare personnel working in institutes that serve large numbers of patients every day, particularly with regard to the sharing of clinical and administrative tasks during the COVID-19 pandemic.