[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of otorhinolaryngology consultations].

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has modified several aspects of medical care, resulting in a change in the profile of visits to the Emergency Department.

Objective: To compare the number and reasons for consultation related to the specialty of Otolaryngology in the Emergency Department of a tertiary-care hospital, in the periods defined as: pre-COVID-19 (from March 13, 2019, to March 12, 2020) and COVID-19 (from March 13, 2020, to March 13, 2021).

Material and methods: An observational, retrospective, cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted. It included 2409 patients, out of which 1764 belonged to the pre-COVID-19 period and 645 to the COVID-19 period. Odds ratios were estimated for the association between the period of presentation and the type of emergency.

Results: We observed an increase in consultations for epistaxis (from 19.16 to 26.82%), followed by tracheostomy care (from 3.17 to 5.89%), laryngotracheal stenosis (from 0.96 to 2.5%) and otalgia (from 4.47 to 6.67%), during the COVID-19 period. Similarly, there was an increase in the proportion of actual emergencies during the COVID-19 period.

Conclusions: Overall, there was a 63% of decrease in the number of urgent Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) consultations during the COVID-19 period, with a significant increase in the number of attendances secondary to epistaxis, tracheostomy care, laryngotracheal stenosis and a significant percentage in cochleovestibular pathology care.