COVID-19 is an emerging viral illness that has rapidly transmitted throughout the world. Its impact on society and the health care system has compelled hospitals to quickly adapt and innovate as new information about the disease is uncovered. During this pandemic, essential medical and surgical services must be carried out while minimizing the risk of disease transmission to health care workers. There is an elevated risk of COVID-19 viral transmission to health care workers during surgical procedures of the head and neck due to potential aerosolization of viral particles from the oral cavity/naso-oropharynx mucosa. Thus, patients with facial fractures pose unique challenges to the variety of injuries and special considerations, including triaging injuries and protective measures against infection. The proximity to the oral cavity/naso-oropharyngeal mucosa, and potential for aerosolization of secretions containing viral particles during surgical procedures make most patients undergoing operative interventions for facial fractures high risk for COVID-19 transmission. Our proposed algorithm aims to balance patient care with patient/medical personnel protection as well as judicious health care utilization. It stratifies facial trauma procedures by urgency and assigns a recommended level of personal protective equipment, extreme or enhanced, incorporating current best practices and existing data on viral transmission. As this pandemic continues to evolve and more information is obtained, the protocol can be further refined and individualized to each institution.

Though younger otolaryngologists with greater online presence tend to have higher ratings, weak correlations suggest that age and online presence have only a small impact on the content found on ratings websites. While most written comments are positive, deficiencies in bedside manner or other physician-independent factors tend to elicit negative comments.

4. Laryngoscope, 127:2891-2896, 2017.

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Objectives: To elucidate differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between patients with episodic and chronic dizziness. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study of 217 adults referred for dizziness at 1 tertiary center was undertaken. Subjects were split into a chronic dizziness group (>15 dizzy days per month) and an episodic dizziness group (<15 dizzy days per month). Results: 217 adults (average age, 53.7 years; 56.7% female) participated. One-third (n = 74) met criteria for chronic dizziness. Dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) scores were significantly higher in those with chronic dizziness compared to those with episodic dizziness (53.9 vs 40.7; P < .001). Comorbid depression and anxiety were more prevalent in those with chronic dizziness (44.6% and 47.3% vs 37.8% and 35.7%, respectively; P > .05). Abnormal vestibular testing and abnormal imaging studies did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Ménière’s disease and BPPV were significantly more common among those with episodic dizziness, while the prevalence of vestibular migraine did not differ according to chronicity of symptoms. A multivariate regression that included age, sex, DHI, history of anxiety and/or depression, associated symptoms, and dizziness triggers was able to account for 15% of the variance in the chronicity of dizziness (pseudo- R2 = 0.15; P < .001). Conclusions: Those who suffer from chronic dizziness have significantly higher DHI and high comorbid rates of depression and anxiety than those with episodic dizziness. Our findings show that factors other than diagnosis alone are important in the chronification of dizziness, an observation that could help improve on multimodal treatment options for this group of patients.