Overview of Upper Airway Management During COVID-19 Outbreak: Head and Neck Surgeon's Perspective

Omari, Ahmad Al; Al-Ashqar, Ra’ed; Nuseir, Amjad; AL Balas, Hassan; Allan, Hadeel; Kanaan, Yazan; Alzoubi, Firas

At the end of December, 2019, a new virus was named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 appeared in Wuhan, China, and the disease caused is called as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by World Health Organization, which to date having infected more than 3,588,773 people worldwide, as well as causing 247,503 deaths. A human to human transmission is thought to be predominantly by droplet spread, and direct contact with the patient or contaminated surfaces. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview as well as to highlight essential evidence-based guidelines for how head and neck surgeon and healthcare providers need to take into consideration during their management of the upper airway during the COVID-19 pandemic safely and effectively to avoid the spread of the virus to the health provider.