Presenter Status
Resident/Psychology Intern
Abstract Type
Research
Primary Mentor
Jill Arganbright
Start Date
14-5-2025 11:30 AM
End Date
14-5-2025 1:30 PM
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Description
Background: Institutions around the world have noted increasing trends in complicated sinogenic infections in children following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Treatment of these infections often requires combined medical and surgical management. Further study is needed to understand changing epidemiology, microbiology, and contributing demographic factors for these infections. We noted increasing trend of surgically managed complicated sinusitis during the COVID-19 pandemic at our institution and hypothesized there were higher rates of intracranial complications.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study with chart review of all children under the age of 18 treated surgically for complicated sinusitis between January 1, 2017, and January 1, 2023 at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. The pre-COVID-19 cohort (pre-COVID) was defined as children presenting before March 11, 2020, and the post-COVID-19 (post-COVID) group included children diagnosed on or after March 11, 2020. Demographics and clinical variables including comorbidities, orbital and neurological complications, and medical and surgical treatments were systematically collected.
Results: Of children needing surgical management of acute complicated sinusitis (n=101), there were significantly higher rates of intracranial complications (OR 2.53; CI 1.13-5.64; p=0.030) in the post-COVID group compared to pre-COVID. There were lower rates of orbital complications (OR 0.29; CI 0.10-0.89; p=0.023) in the post-COVID cohort compared to pre-COVID. There were no significant differences in demographics, medical variables, bacteriology, or procedures performed. Children in the post-COVID group on average lived further away from the treating institution.
Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified an increase in intracranial complications from complicated sinusitis compared to pre-COVID. Larger multi-institutional studies are needed to determine if this trend was hospital or region dependent and if this increase has persisted following the end of the pandemic.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Complicated Sinusitis: a Single Institutional Experience
Background: Institutions around the world have noted increasing trends in complicated sinogenic infections in children following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Treatment of these infections often requires combined medical and surgical management. Further study is needed to understand changing epidemiology, microbiology, and contributing demographic factors for these infections. We noted increasing trend of surgically managed complicated sinusitis during the COVID-19 pandemic at our institution and hypothesized there were higher rates of intracranial complications.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study with chart review of all children under the age of 18 treated surgically for complicated sinusitis between January 1, 2017, and January 1, 2023 at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. The pre-COVID-19 cohort (pre-COVID) was defined as children presenting before March 11, 2020, and the post-COVID-19 (post-COVID) group included children diagnosed on or after March 11, 2020. Demographics and clinical variables including comorbidities, orbital and neurological complications, and medical and surgical treatments were systematically collected.
Results: Of children needing surgical management of acute complicated sinusitis (n=101), there were significantly higher rates of intracranial complications (OR 2.53; CI 1.13-5.64; p=0.030) in the post-COVID group compared to pre-COVID. There were lower rates of orbital complications (OR 0.29; CI 0.10-0.89; p=0.023) in the post-COVID cohort compared to pre-COVID. There were no significant differences in demographics, medical variables, bacteriology, or procedures performed. Children in the post-COVID group on average lived further away from the treating institution.
Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified an increase in intracranial complications from complicated sinusitis compared to pre-COVID. Larger multi-institutional studies are needed to determine if this trend was hospital or region dependent and if this increase has persisted following the end of the pandemic.
