AB131. SOH22ABS160. Changes in the management of peritonsillar abscess in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era
Head & Neck/ENT

AB131. SOH22ABS160. Changes in the management of peritonsillar abscess in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era

Lee Peeperkorn, Michael Walsh, Alanna Quinn, Emer Lang, David Smyth, Liam Skinner, Bangalore Mahesh, Martin Donnelly

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Waterford, Waterford, Ireland

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) has dramatically changed many aspects of ENT service provision. Since the start of the pandemic, new practice guidelines have been recommended and implemented throughout the country. A retrospective cohort study was carried out on the management of suspected peritonsillar abscesses referred to the ENT service in University Hospital Waterford (UHW) before and after the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: A retrospective audit was completed on the patients referred to the ENT Department in UHW with suspected quinsy in the six months before and after the implementation of new practice guidelines.

Results: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, all patients with peritonsillar cellulitis or abscess were admitted for intravenous antibiotics and observation. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been fewer referrals with suspected peritonsillar abscesses as well as fewer admissions. Patients were successfully managed with aspiration or incision and drainage in the emergency department and discharged home with oral antibiotics. No significant change was seen in the rate of representation or readmission.

Conclusions: This study suggests that the change in management of peritonsillar abscess or cellulitis, with a move away from admission for observation, is safe and effective.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); peritonsillar abscess; otolaryngology; quality improvement; quinsy

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-22-ab131
Cite this abstract as: Peeperkorn L, Walsh M, Quinn A, Lang E, Smyth D, Skinner L, Mahesh B, Donnelly M. AB131. SOH22ABS160. Changes in the management of peritonsillar abscess in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. Mesentery Peritoneum 2022;6:AB131.

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