Background No definitive treatment exists to effectively restore function in patients with persistent post‐infectious olfactory dysfunction (OD). Corticosteroids have been considered as a therapeutic option in post‐infectious OD but their benefit in COVID‐19‐related OD remains unexplored. We aim to determine the role of the combination of corticosteroids plus olfactory training (OT) in improving persistent COVID‐19‐related OD. Methods A multicenter real‐life cohort study was conducted between December 2020 and April 2022 on patients with reported COVID‐19‐related OD. Only patients with confirmed OD at Sniffin' Sticks (S'S) and those who attended their 6‐month follow‐up were included. Patients were started on a combined treatment of corticosteroids and OT. Patients refusing corticosteroids or not doing any treatment formed the control groups. Visual analogue scale (VAS) for sense of smell and SNOT‐22 were used to assess patients reported symptoms. Results Sixty‐seven subjects with reported COVID‐19‐related OD were initially seen. Normosmic patients at S'S ( n = 14) and those not attending their follow‐up ( n = 9) were excluded. Of the 44 patients included in the analysis, 19 patients had the combined treatment (group A), 16 patients refused to take corticosteroids and did the OT alone (group B) whereas 9 patients did not do any treatment (group C). An improvement of threshold + discrimination + identification (TDI) score ( p = .01) and VAS for smell ( p = .01) was found in group A whereas only the TDI score improved in group B ( p = .04). Presence of comorbidities, age, sex (male), and length of OD negatively influenced olfactory recovery. Conclusions Our study confirms the importance of OT in long‐term OD suggesting that the addition of corticosteroids may give a benefit in terms of patient's perceived olfaction. Level of Evidence 2b
Objective This study reviewed all rhinology clinical negligence claims in the National Health Service in England between 2013 and 2018. Method All clinical negligence claims held by National Health Service Resolution relating to rhinology in England between 1 April 2013 and 1 April 2018 were reviewed. Results There were 171 rhinology related claims with a total estimated potential cost of £13.6 million. There were 119 closed claims (70 per cent) with a total cost of £2.3 million, of which 55 claims resulted in payment of damages. Over three quarters of all rhinology claims were associated with surgery (n = 132). Claims associated with endoscopic sinus surgery had the highest mean cost per claim (£172 978). Unnecessary pain (33.9 per cent) and unnecessary operation (28.1 per cent) were the most commonly cited patient injuries. Conclusion Patient education and consent have been highlighted as key areas for improvement from this review of rhinology related clinical negligence claims. A shift in clinical practice towards shared decision making could reduce litigation in rhinology.
Background and Objectives: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases of post-infectious olfactory dysfunction (PIOD) has substantially increased. Despite a good recovery rate, olfactory dysfunction (OD) becomes persistent in up to 15% of cases and further research is needed to find new treatment modalities for those patients who have not improved on currently available treatments. Social media has emerged as a potential avenue for patient recruitment, but its role in recruiting patients with smell dysfunction remains unexplored. We conducted a survey using the AbScent Facebook page to evaluate the feasibility of using this platform for future studies on smell dysfunction. Materials and Methods: Between 26 October and 4 November 2021, we conducted an online survey to evaluate propensity of patients with PIOD who would be willing to participate in research studies on smell dysfunction. Results: Sixty-five subjects were surveyed with a response rate of 90.7%. The median visual analogue scale (VAS) for sense of smell was 0 at infection and 2 at survey completion. The median length of OD was 1.6 years, and the main cause of OD was SARS-CoV-2 (57.6%). Parosmia was reported in 41 subjects (69.5%) whilst phantosmia in 22 (37.3%). The median length of olfactory training (OT) was 6 months but subjectively effective in 15 subjects (25.4%). Twenty-seven subjects (45.8%) tried other medications to improve olfaction, but only 6 participants (22.2%) reported an improvement. All subjects expressed their propensity to participate in future studies with most of them (38; 64.4%) willing to be enrolled either in medical and surgical studies or to be part of a randomised study design (11; 18.6%). Conclusions: Using the AbScent Facebook platform we successfully selected a population of subjects with persistent and severe OD that have failed to improve on available treatments and are willing to participate in further clinical trials.
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