Brief Report

COVID-19: Pandemic surgery guidance

¹ Theodor-Billroth-Akademie ®, Germany, USA
² INCORE, International Consortium of Research Excellence of the Theodor-Billroth-Academy ®, Germany, USA
³ Department of Surgery, Carl-Thiem-Klinikum, Cottbus, Germany
⁴ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, St. Andrea University Hospital, Rome, Italy
⁵ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Veris delli Ponti Hospital, Scorrano, Lecce, Italy
⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, College of Medicine-Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines
⁷ Department of Surgery, Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
⁸ Department of Thoracic Surgery, Istituto Clinico Humanitas CCO, Catania, Italy
⁹ Department of Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
¹⁰ Department of Surgery, Hospital General San Juan de Dios, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Calle, Guatemala
¹¹ New Liberty Proteomics Corporation, New Liberty, KY, USA
¹² Department of Surgery, Sana Klinikum Hameln-Pyrmont, Hameln, Germany
¹³ Centro de Imunologia e Biologia Parasitária, Scientific Director of Center for Study in Animal Science, ICETA, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
¹⁴ Department of General Surgery and Shock Trauma Unit, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
¹⁵ Department of Surgery, Ankara Numune Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
¹⁶ Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Sana Klinikum Hameln-Pyrmont, Hameln, Germany
¹⁷ Colorectal and Pelvic Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey
¹⁸ Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology Department, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland
¹⁹ Cancer Institute, Hospital das Clínicas, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
²⁰ Department of Surgery, Ernst von Bergmann Hospital, Potsdam, Germany
²¹ Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
²² Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences & the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
²³ Department for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Helios Amper Hospital Dachau, Dachau, Germany
²⁴ Orthopedic Department, Vila Velha Hospital, Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil
²⁵ Department of Surgery, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
²⁶ Surgical Oncology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
²⁷ Surgical Oncology Department – Portuguese Institute of Oncology, Porto, Portugal
²⁸ Department of Surgery, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil
²⁹ Assia Medical Group, Assuta Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
³⁰ Surgical Oncology, HPB and Liver Transplantation, Ecuadorian Cancer Institute, Quito, Ecuador
³¹ Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
³² Department of Surgery, UK Knappschaftskrankenhaus, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
³³ Risk-Based Decisions Inc., Sacramento, CA, USA
³⁴ Department of Colorectal Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia

^* Corresponding author: b-bruecher@gmx.de

Accepted: 6 April 2020

Abstract

Based on high quality surgery and scientific data, scientists and surgeons are committed to protecting patients as well as healthcare staff and hereby provide this Guidance to address the special issues circumstances related to the exponential spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during this pandemic. As a basis, the authors used the British Intercollegiate General Surgery Guidance as well as recommendations from the USA, Asia, and Italy. The aim is to take responsibility and to provide guidance for surgery during the COVID-19 crisis in a simplified way addressing the practice of surgery, healthcare staff and patient safety and care. It is the responsibility of scientists and the surgical team to specify what is needed for the protection of patients and the affiliated healthcare team. During crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the responsibility and duty to provide the necessary resources such as filters, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) consisting of gloves, fluid resistant (Type IIR) surgical face masks (FRSM), filtering face pieces, class 3 (FFP3 masks), face shields and gowns (plastic ponchos), is typically left up to the hospital administration and government. Various scientists and clinicians from disparate specialties provided a Pandemic Surgery Guidance for surgical procedures by distinct surgical disciplines such as numerous cancer surgery disciplines, cardiothoracic surgery, ENT, eye, dermatology, emergency, endocrine surgery, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pediatric surgery, reconstructive and plastic surgery, surgical critical care, transplantation surgery, trauma surgery and urology, performing different surgeries, as well as laparoscopy, thoracoscopy and endoscopy. Any suggestions and corrections from colleagues will be very welcome as we are all involved and locked in a rapidly evolving process on increasing COVID-19 knowledge.