Short Communication: Stellate Ganglion Blockade for Persistent Olfactory and Gustatory Symptoms Post-COVID-19

Figures & data

Table 1 Pre- and Post-COVID Symptoms — Questionnaire Completed by Patients Prior to SGB

	Pre-COVID		Post-COVID		Mean Difference	t	p*	Cohen’s d
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD
Fatigue	1.48	1.78	5.03	3.28	−3.55	−12.26	<0.001	−1.267
Cough	0.18	0.71	1.00	2.10	−0.82	−4.39	0.00	−0.448
Dyspnea	0.35	0.80	1.64	2.46	−1.29	−5.78	<0.001	−0.601
Chest Pain	0.03	0.23	0.31	0.97	−0.28	−2.85	0.04	−0.308
Memory and Concentration	1.05	1.47	5.16	3.18	−4.11	−13.47	<0.001	−1.390
Sleep Issues	1.55	2.28	3.60	3.61	−2.05	−7.18	<0.001	−0.740
Muscle Pain and Headache	1.57	2.19	4.37	3.94	−2.79	−7.90	<0.001	−0.820
Fast or Pounding Heart Rate	0.15	0.66	1.51	2.48	−1.36	−5.54	0.00	−0.572
Loss Distortion of smell or taste	0.11	1.01	8.89	2.34	−8.77	−32.83	<0.001	−3.387
Depression or Anxiety	1.88	2.46	5.00	3.59	−3.12	−9.24	<0.001	−0.958
Fever	0.00	0.00	0.10	0.75	−0.10	−1.37	0.32	−0.14
Dizziness upon Standing	0.41	1.06	2.74	3.01	−2.33	−7.87	<0.001	−0.818
Postexertional Malaise	0.46	1.10	3.04	3.35	−2.58	−8.31	<0.001	−0.852

Note: *p-values were calculated using bootstrapping based on 1000 bootstrap samples.

Table 2 Demographics of Data of the Study Cohort (n = 195)

Variable	Total	Female	Male
Gender n(%)	195	157 (80.5%)	38 (19.5%)
Age mean (range)	38.58 (18–76)	37.1 (18–63)	41.1 (18–69)
Self-report mental health issue^a,b n(%)
No	104 (53.3%)	76 (48.4%)	28 (73.7%)
Yes	91 (46.7%)	81 (51.6%)	10 (26.3%)

Notes: ^aPatient reported at least one of the mental health issues including anxiety, depression, or PTSD. ^bChi-Square = 7.85, p = 0.005.

Figure 1 Data Collected on Google Survey Form.

Table 3 Relationship Between Self-Report of Happiness Regarding the SGC Results and Smell/Taste Improvement After Right and Left Sided SGB in the First 24 Hours (n = 195 Each Side)

Happiness Rating Regarding the SGB Results	Smell		Taste
	Reported No Change N (%)	Reported Improvement N (%)	Reported No Change N (%)	Reported Improvement N (%)
SGB Right	Chi-Square=56.72	p<0.001	Chi-Square=36.94	p<0.001
Not happy	30 (62.5%)	15 (10.2%)	27 (54.0%)	18 (12.4%)
Somewhat Happy	11(22.9%)	59 (40.1%)	13 (26.0%)	57 (39.1%)
Very happy	7 (14.6%)	73 (49.7%)	10 (12.5%)	70 (48.3%)
SGB Left	Chi-Square=23.53	p<0.001	Chi-Square=20.12	p<0.001
Not happy	37 (36.6%)	8 (8.5%)	28 (40.0%)	17 (13.6%)
Somewhat Happy	34 (33.7%)	36 (38.3%)	25 (35.7%)	45 (36.0%)
Very happy	30 (29.7%)	50 (53.2%)	17 (24.3%)	63 (50.4%)