Changes in the use of Otorhinolaryngology Emergency Department during the COVID-19 pandemic: report from Lombardy, Italy

Purpose: This paper aims to report the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on Emergency Ear nose and Throat (ENT) activity, in Lombardy (Italy), during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The number of accesses to Emergency Department requiring ENT consultations between February 21st and May 7th, 2020, was retrospectively collected, along with the conditions treated. Data were stratified in 1-week time spans, to evaluate the evolving trends during the on-going epidemic and a comparison with the two previous years was performed. Results: A significant reduction in the number of consultations performed during the pandemic was observed, as high as − 91% compared to the same period of 2018. Conclusion: Multiple reasons can explain such a reduction of Emergency ENT consultations, not least the fear of potentially being infected by SARS-CoV-2 by while accessing the hospital. The analysis performed might be useful as a starting point for a future reorganization of first aid consultations once the epidemic will be resolved.