Breast Cancer Management During COVID-19 Pandemic in Madrid: Surgical Strategy.

BACKGROUND: From the first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan (China), the infection spread all around the world causing a pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Spain has been one of the most severely affected countries, and Madrid has reported a high number of cases and deaths. We discuss our strategies for optimal breast cancer management during COVID-19 pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study at Clínico San Carlos Hospital to analyze the management of patients with breast cancer during the pandemic outbreak and the surgical strategy after the pandemic outbreak. We created a practical and dynamic tool based on a "traffic light" system for prioritizing surgical time. Every patient was contacted by telephone with a preoperative COVID-19 protocol. After surgical procedures, patient satisfaction was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer in-patient satisfaction with cancer care questionnaire (EORTC IN-PATSAT32). RESULTS: Patients with breast cancer actively treated with surgical procedures were put on a waiting list and received systemic therapy. Telemedicine was used to evaluate any side effects and to avoid unnecessary hospital visits. Surgery was only considered after the pandemic outbreak, and then, only those procedures designed to minimize surgical complications and, therefore, reduce hospital stay. We also measured patients' satisfaction with medical and nursing scales that resulted in a "very good" evaluation tending to "excellent". CONCLUSION: It is necessary to adapt management of oncology treatment and surgical strategy to optimize resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients' perception of care quality and the degree of patients' satisfaction with health services has potential relevance in the absence of outcome data.

Surgical strategy and optimal timing of tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19: Early experiences in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: Tracheostomy is an important surgical procedure for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients who underwent prolonged tracheal intubation. Surgical indication of tracheostomy is greatly affected by the general condition of the patient, comorbidity, prognosis, hospital resources, and staff experience. Thus, the optimal timing of tracheostomy remains controversial. METHODS: We reviewed our early experience with COVID-19 patients who underwent tracheostomy at one tertiary hospital in Japan from February to September 2020 and analyzed the timing of tracheostomy, operative results, and occupational infection in healthcare workers (HCWs). RESULTS: Of 16 patients received tracheal intubation with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, five patients (31%) received surgical tracheostomy in our hospital. The average consultation time for surgical tracheostomy was 7.4 days (range, 6 - 9 days) from the COVID-19 team to the otolaryngologist. The duration from tracheal intubation to tracheostomy ranged from 14 to 27 days (average, 20 days). The average time of tracheostomy was 27 min (range, 17 - 39 min), and post-wound bleeding occurred in only one patient. No significant differences in hemoglobin (Hb) levels were found between the pre- and postoperative periods (mean: 10.2 vs. 10.2 g/dl, p = 0.93). Similarly, no difference was found in white blood cell (WBC) count (mean: 12,200 vs. 9,900 cells /µl, p = 0.25). After the tracheostomy, there was no occupational infection among the HCWs who assisted the tracheostomy patients during the perioperative period. CONCLUSION: We proposed a modified weaning protocol and surgical indications of tracheostomy for COVID-19 patients and recommend that an optimal timing for tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients of 2 - 3 weeks after tracheal intubation, from our early experiences in Japan. An experienced multi-disciplinary tracheostomy team is essential to perform a safe tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19 and to minimize the risk of occupational infection in HCWs.