ABSTRACT
During the first hit of SARS-COVID pandemic, an important reorganization of Healthcare Services has been done, and new protocols and pathways to protect frail patients like oncological patients were designed. The second hit of pandemic had stressed these new pathways and suggests to health-workers some improvements for safer management of patents.We reported our experience in organizing the clinical pathway of neoadjuvant therapy candidate patients based on the execution of sentinel lympho-node biopsy and the placement of implantable venous access port in the same access to operating room before neoadjuvant chemotherapy suggesting a possible organizational model. In the period October-December 2020 we have included in this new type of path twelve patients and we have not registered any cases of COVID among the patients included. We think this new path, adopted amid the second hit, will be useful for all Breast Units that are facing the challenge of guaranteeing the highest standards of care in a historical moment where the health emergency occupies the efforts of health workers and the economic resources of health systems.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , COVID-19/prevention & control , Catheterization, Central Venous/methods , Infection Control/methods , Patient Safety , Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy/methods , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Catheterization, Central Venous/instrumentation , Catheterization, Central Venous/standards , Central Venous Catheters , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , Critical Pathways , Female , Humans , Infection Control/standards , Mastectomy , Middle Aged , Neoadjuvant Therapy , Neoplasm Staging , Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy/standardsABSTRACT
COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. As of April 1, 2020, Italy was the country with the second highest number of cases in the world. The spread of COVID-19 has required a rapid reorganization of health service delivery in face of the pandemic. Breast cancer units have reprioritized their workload to guarantee the health of oncologic patients at the highest risk and regular screening activities. However, at the end of the pandemic emergency, many benign and reconstructive cases will return to our attention and their surgical treatment will be necessary as soon as possible.