Objective: Compare outcomes for patients who were seen via telemedicine visits after otology/neurotology surgical procedures with those who were seen in traditional office visits.
Study design: Retrospective case review.
Setting: Tertiary care academic medical center.
Patients: Inclusion criteria were patients who underwent otologic/neurotologic surgery and were seen in at least one telemedicine visit for postoperative care.
Intervention (s): Telemedicine visit for postoperative care.
Main outcome measure (s): Comparison of the number of patient calls, unplanned visits, and delayed complications between telemedicine patients and controls matched for age, procedure, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status.
Results: Eighteen patients were seen in telemedicine visits postoperatively after the following otologic/neurotologic surgical procedures: cochlear implant surgery (10), vestibular schwannoma resection (4), combined middle fossa and transmastoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak repair (2), middle fossa repair of superior canal dehiscence (1), and stapedectomy (1). All telehealth visits were for the second postoperative visit. The mean number of patient calls after surgery was 2.3 for the telemedicine group and 1.9 for matched controls which was not a statistically significant difference (p = 0.466). Both groups each had two patients who went to the emergency room, with one in each group being admitted. There was one delayed complication in the control group.
Conclusion: Our preliminary experience suggests telemedicine may be used safely in caring for patients after otologic/neurotologic surgery, though it may be associated with more patient phone calls. Further study and experience, including assessing patient satisfaction, will clarify the future role of telemedicine in otology and neurotology.