Background: As reported by increasing literature, a significant number of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection developed smell/taste disorders. Aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and severity of these symptoms among laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients. Secondary objective is to determine their onset/recovery time. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 10 to 30, 2020 at Novara University Hospital during the COVID-19 Italian outbreak.The 355 enrolled patients answered a questionnaire at 14th (or more) days after proven infection. Results:The overall population prevalence of both smell/taste or one of the two disorders was 70%. They were first symptoms in 31 (8,7%) patients. Most patients reported a complete loss that in half of the cases (49.5%) was fully recovered after 14 days, with a median recovery time of 10 days. Conclusion:This study confirms a high prevalence of smell/taste disorders in COVID-19 infection with self-recovery for half cases after about 2 weeks.

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Medical simulation enables trainees to learn procedural skills in a tailored, non-threatening, controlled environment that can provide feedback and educational experiences. The goals of this study are to describe the setup and execution of an educational intervention (SimORL) in Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) simulation, to report confidence in performing basic ENT procedures before and after the event and investigate whether participants would find it useful and educationally effective. SimORL was a two-day formative event held at SIMNOVA-Eastern Piedmont Simulation Centre, Italy. The event was open to ENT trainees from any Italian ENT training program; participants were divided into 5 teams and rotated around 10 different simulation stations over two days. Stations included: high-fidelity, skill trainer, computer based, wet lab and dissection. Stations were: virtual otoscopy (OtoSim ®), simulated clinical cases with high-fidelity mannequin (e.g. epistaxis) or standardised patients (e.g. vestibular neuronitis), robotic surgery (Da Vinci ®), human anatomy (zSPACE AIO ®), surgical tracheostomy (wet model), cadaveric sino-nasal endoscopy (wet model), crisis resource management (team exercise), surgical sutures (Limbs&Things SkinPad ®), surgical set station and team building exercises. Participants were asked to complete a pre-and post-test that queried previous experience and confidence using 10-item unanchored semantic scales. Results are presented as median (25-75 percentile). Satisfaction was assessed by a validated 5-item Likert Simulation Experience Scale (SSES). Twenty-three ENT trainees attended SimORL 2018. Only 3 participants reported limited previous simulation experience. Pre-post confidence significantly improved between before and after the event. Overall satisfaction with Simulation Experience Scale (SSES) was very high with a median of 4.5 of 5. Regarding simulation evaluation, the most appreciated station was nasal endoscopy (10/10), while the least appreciated was otoscopy (6/10). SimORL proved to be a highly rated and useful educational tool to improve junior ENT trainees' confidence in performing basic ENT procedures.

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Spontaneous epistaxis in patients with COVID-19 can represent a clinical challenge with respect to both the risk of contamination and the treatment options. We herein present the data of 30 patients with COVID-19 who developed spontaneous epistaxis while hospitalized at Eastern Piedmont Hospital during March and April 2020. All patients received low-molecular-weight heparin during their hospital stay and required supplementary oxygen therapy either by a nasal cannula or continuous positive airway pressure. Both conditions can represent risk factors for developing epistaxis. Prevention of crust formation in patients with rhinitis using a nasal lubricant should be recommended. If any treatment is required, appropriate self-protection is mandatory.