ABSTRACT
Summary In the era of this pandemic, the use of free flaps for elective reconstruction should proceed with caution in the COVID-19 positive patient given the associated coagulopathy. In those who require free tissue transfer in an urgent or non-elective manner, it is advisable to consider systemic anticoagulation with an associated hematologic consultation given the theoretic higher risk of flap vascular complication. We present a case report of a young healthy and otherwise asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patient whose associated coagulopathy resulted in free flap loss and need for further operations.
ABSTRACT
Seattle, Washington, is an epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic in the United States. In response, the Division of General Surgery at the University of Washington Department of Surgery in Seattle has designed and implemented an emergency restructuring of the facility's general surgery resident care teams in an attempt to optimize workforce well-being, comply with physical distancing requirements, and continue excellent patient care. This article introduces a unique approach to general surgery resident allocation by dividing patient care into separate inpatient care, operating care, and clinic care teams. Separate teams made up of all resident levels will work in each setting for a 1-week period. By creating this emergency structure, we have limited the number of surgery residents with direct patient contact and have created teams working in isolation from one another to optimize physical distancing while still performing required work. This also provides a resident reserve without exposure to the virus, theoretically flattening the curve among our general surgery resident cohort. Surgical resident team restructuring is critical during a pandemic to optimize patient care and ensure the well-being and vitality of the resident workforce while ensuring the entire workforce is not compromised.