Indian consensus statements on irritable bowel syndrome in adults: A guideline by the Indian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association and jointly supported by the Indian Society of Gastroenterology.

The Indian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association (INMA), earlier named the Indian Motility and Functional Diseases Association developed this evidence-based practice guidelines for the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A modified Delphi process was used to develop this consensus containing 28 statements, which were concerning diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, etiopathogenesis and comorbidities, investigations, lifestyle modifications and treatments. Owing to the Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, lockdowns and mobility restrictions, web-based meetings and electronic voting were the major tools used to develop this consensus. A statement was regarded as accepted when the sum of "completely accepted" and "accepted with minor reservation" voted responses were 80% or higher. Finally, the consensus was achieved on all 28 statements. The consensus team members are of the view that this work may find use in teaching, patient care, and research on IBS in India and other nations.

The Aftermath of COVID-19 Lockdown- Why and How Should We Be Ready?

INTRODUCTION: Severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV 2) has inexplicably and irreversibly changed the way of neurosurgery practice. There has been a substantial reduction in neurosurgical operations during the period of lockdown. The lockdown might be the most effective measure to curtail viral transmission. Once we return to the normalization of the lifestyle, there will be a backlog of unoperated pending cases along with the possibility of further spread of the coronavirus. METHODS: We reviewed the available literature and protocols for neurosurgical practice in different geographic locations. We drafted a consensus statement based on the literature and protocols suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) and various professional societies to prevent the spread of SARS-COV2 while streamlining the neurosurgical practice. RESULTS: The consensus statement suggests the patient triage, workflow, resource distribution, and operational efficacy for care providers at different stages of management. The priority is set at personal protection while ensuring patients' safety, timely management, and capacity building. We performed a detailed subsection analysis for the management of trauma and set up for COVID-free hospitals for simultaneous management of routine neurosurgical indications. In this time of medicolegal upheaval, special consent from the patients should be taken in view of the chances of delay in management and the added risk of corona infection. The consensus statements are applicable to neurosurgical setups of all capacities. CONCLUSION: Along with the glaring problem of infection, there is another threat of neurosurgery emergency building up. This wave may overwhelm the already stretched systems to the hilt. We need to flatten this curve while avoiding contagion. These measures may guide neurosurgery practitioners to effectively manage patients ensuring the safety of caregivers and care seekers both.

Impact of SARS-Cov2 on Endoscopic Trans-Nasal Skull Base Surgeries.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is currently an evolving situation. Operating rooms (OR) are high-risk areas for the transmission of any respiratory infection with multiple personnel involved, in close proximity. Of concern to neurosurgeons, is the high-risk of aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) like transsphenoidal and endonasal surgery. Endonasal AGPs theoretically present a higher risk of viral exposure due to the longer duration of exposure and aggressive disruption of potentially virus-containing mucosa. OBJECTIVE: The current review discusses potential strategies to neuro-surgeons to avoid transmission of COVID 19 during endo-nasal and trans-sphenoidal surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed using the search terms "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV-2", "coronavirus" in combination with "neurosurgery", and identified 13 relevant articles. A pre-surgical risk assessment score is proposed based on the risk of transmission. A flow chart of patient selection and care has been formulated. CONCLUSION: In all emergency patients, it is preferable to consider transcranial surgery or a sub-labial approach avoiding exposure to mucosa. Due to laboratory constraints routine swabs is not always available. Therefore, routine preoperative screening computed tomography (CT) chest is performed in all patients. Based on risk of transmission of infection to others, we propose a classification of patients for skull-based surgery into low, high and very high risk groups and suggest suitable personal protective equipment. Additionally, we discuss avoiding use of powered drills in or any AGP. However, cold procedures involving shavers and microdebriders generate lesser amounts of aerosol. Post-operatively, the length of stay could be reduced with a multidisciplinary approach.