The Transport Medicine Society Consensus Guidelines for the Transport of Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Patients.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has been declared as a pandemic. COVID-19 patients may require transport for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes intra- or interhospital or transport from an outside hospital to a healthcare facility. Transport of critically ill or infectious patients is always challenging and involves the integration of various tasks and manpower. The adverse events have been attributed to various factors such as a multidisciplinary team and lack of appropriate communication among team members, absence of equipment, or failure during transport, apart from physiological alteration inherent to the disease of the patient. The transport of COVID-19 patients carries an additional risk of not only the disease itself but also due to the risk of its transmission to the transport team. The human-to-human transmission of the virus can occur via respiratory droplets. So, the person involved in the transport of such patients shall be at risk and warrants appropriate steps for their safety. Appropriate planning by a well-trained transport team is an essence for the safe transport of the suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. The Transport Medicine Society guidelines present consensus guidelines for the safe transport of COVID-19 patients. DISCLAIMER: These consensus guidelines are applicable for the safe transport of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 adult patients. These recommendations should be used in conjunction with medical management guidelines and advisories related to COVID-19. These recommendations should be adapted to the local policies prevalent at the workplace and also per agreement among the hospitals for transport (agreement between referring and receiving facilities). With the emergence of new scientific evidence, these guidelines may require modification. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Munjal M, Ahmed SM, Garg R, Das S, Chatterjee N, Mittal K, et al. The Transport Medicine Society Consensus Guidelines for the Transport of Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(9):763-770.

All India difficult airway association (AIDAA) consensus guidelines for airway management in the operating room during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly contagious virus. The closed environment of the operation room (OR) with aerosol generating airway management procedures increases the risk of transmission of infection among the anaesthesiologists and other OR personnel. Wearing complete, fluid impermeable personal protective equipment (PPE) for airway related procedures is recommended. Team preparation, clear methods of communication and appropriate donning and doffing of PPEs are essential to prevent spread of the infection. Optimal pre oxygenation, rapid sequence induction and video laryngoscope aided tracheal intubation (TI) are recommended. Supraglottic airways (SGA) and surgical cricothyroidotomy should be preferred for airway rescue. High flow nasal oxygen, face mask ventilation, nebulisation, small bore cannula cricothyroidotomy with jet ventilation should be avoided. Tracheal extubation should be conducted with the same levels of precaution as TI. The All India Difficult Airway Association (AIDAA) aims to provide consensus guidelines for safe airway management in the OR, while attempting to prevent transmission of infection to the OR personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.