Stellate Ganglion Block for COVID-19-Induced Olfactory Dysfunction
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-01-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Chronic olfactory dysfunction from the COVID-19 pandemic is a growing public health crisis
with up to 1.2 million people in the Unites States affected. Olfactory dysfunction impacts
one's quality of life significantly by decreasing the enjoyment of foods, creating
environmental safety concerns, and affecting one's ability to perform certain jobs. Olfactory
dysfunction is also an independent predictor of anxiety, depression, and even mortality.
While the pandemic has increased the interest by the scientific community in combating the
burgeoning health crisis, few effective treatments currently exist for olfactory dysfunction.
Furthermore, patients impacted by "long COVID," or chronic symptoms after an acute COVID-19
infection, experience impairments other than olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, such as
chronic dyspnea, impaired memory and concentration, and severe fatigue. These symptoms have
been hypothesized to be a result of sympathetic positive feedback loops and dysautonomia.
Stellate ganglion blocks have been proposed to treat this hyper-sympathetic activation by
blocking the sympathetic neuronal firing and resetting the balance of the autonomic nervous
system. Studies prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have supported a beneficial effect of stellate
ganglion blocks on olfactory dysfunction, and recent news reports and a published case series
have described a dramatic benefit in both olfactory function and other long COVID symptoms in
patients receiving stellate ganglion blocks. Therefore, we propose a single cohort
prospective study to generate pilot data on the efficacy and safety of sequential stellate
ganglion blocks for the treatment of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction and other long
COVID symptoms.