Opinion paper: gynecological surgery in local anesthesia?

PURPUSE: The paracervical block (PCB) is a local anesthesia procedure that can be used to perform gynecological surgeries without the need for further anesthesia. With the PCB, surgeries can be moved from the central operating room to outpatient operating rooms, where they can be performed without the presence of an anesthesia team. METHODS: In this paper, the indications, implementation and limitations of the procedure are discussed. CONCLUSION: Especially in times of scarce staff and OR resources during the Corona pandemic, OR capacity can be expanded in this way.

What obstetricians should know about obstetric anesthesia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted obstetric anesthesiologists to reconsider the ways in which basic anesthesia care is provided on the Labor and Delivery Unit. Suggested modifications include an added emphasis on avoiding general anesthesia, a strong encouragement to infected individuals to opt for early neuraxial analgesia, and the prevention of emergent cesarean delivery, whenever possible. Through team efforts, adopting these measures can have real effects on reducing the transmission of the viral illness and maintaining patient and caregiver safety in the labor room.

Paracervical blocks facilitate timely brachytherapy amidst COVID-19.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic presents serious challenges for brachytherapists, and in the time-sensitive case of locally advanced cervical cancer, the need for curative brachytherapy (BT) is critical for survival. Given the high-volume of locally advanced cervical cancer in our safety-net hospital, we developed a strategy in close collaboration with our gynecology oncology and anesthesia colleagues to allow for completely clinic-based intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: This technical report will highlight our experience with the use of paracervical blocks (PCBs) and oral multimodal analgesia (MMA) for appropriately selected cervical ICBT cases, allowing for completely clinic-based treatment. RESULTS: 18 of 19 (95%) screened patients were eligible for in-clinic ICBT. The excluded patient had significant vaginal fibrosis. 38 of 39 intracavitary implants were successfully transitioned for entirely in-clinic treatment utilizing PCBs and oral MMA (97% success rate). One case was aborted due to inadequate analgesia secondary to a significantly delayed case start time (PO medication effect diminished). 95% of patients reported no pain at the conclusion of the procedure. The median (IQR) D2cc for rectum and bladder were 64.8 (58.6-70.2) Gy and 84.1 (70.9-89.4) Gy, respectively. Median (IQR) CTV high-risk D90 was 88.0 (85.6-89.8) Gy. CONCLUSIONS: In a multidisciplinary effort, we have successfully transitioned many ICBT cases to the clinic with the use of PCB local anesthesia and oral multimodality therapy in direct response to the current pandemic, thereby mitigating exposure risk to patients and staff as well as reducing overall health care burden.

Obstetric Anesthesia During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

With increasing numbers of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases due to efficient human-to-human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the United States, preparation for the unpredictable setting of labor and delivery is paramount. The priorities are 2-fold in the management of obstetric patients with COVID-19 infection or persons under investigation (PUI): (1) caring for the range of asymptomatic to critically ill pregnant and postpartum women; (2) protecting health care workers and beyond from exposure during the delivery hospitalization (health care providers, personnel, family members). The goal of this review is to provide evidence-based recommendations or, when evidence is limited, expert opinion for anesthesiologists caring for pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on preparedness and best clinical obstetric anesthesia practice.

Labor and delivery guidance for COVID-19.

This document addresses the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for providers and patients in labor and delivery (L&D). The goals are to provide guidance regarding methods to appropriately screen and test pregnant patients for COVID-19 prior to, and at admission to L&D reduce risk of maternal and neonatal COVID-19 disease through minimizing hospital contact and appropriate isolation; and provide specific guidance for management of L&D of the COVID-19-positive woman, as well as the critically ill COVID-19-positive woman. The first 5 sections deal with L&D issues in general, for all women, during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include Section 1: Appropriate screening, testing, and preparation of pregnant women for COVID-19 before visit and/or admission to L&D Section 2: Screening of patients coming to L&D triage; Section 3: General changes to routine L&D work flow; Section 4: Intrapartum care; Section 5: Postpartum care; Section 6 deals with special care for the COVID-19-positive or suspected pregnant woman in L&D and Section 7 deals with the COVID-19-positive/suspected woman who is critically ill. These are suggestions, which can be adapted to local needs and capabilities.