Personal protective equipment and evidence-based advice for surgical departments during COVID-19.
ANZ J Surg
; 90(9): 1566-1572, 2020 09.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-647010
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Inconsistencies regarding the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) have raised concerns for the safety of surgical staff during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This rapid review synthesizes the literature and includes input from clinical experts to provide evidence-based guidance for surgical services.METHODS:
The rapid review comprised of targeted searches in PubMed and grey literature. Pertinent findings were discussed by a working group of clinical experts, and consensus recommendations, consistent with Australian and New Zealand Government guidelines, were formulated.RESULTS:
There was a paucity of high-quality primary studies specifically investigating appropriate surgical PPE for healthcare workers treating patients possibly infected with COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is capable of aerosol, droplet and fomite transmission, making it essential to augment standard infection control measures with appropriate PPE, especially during surgical emergencies and aerosol-generating procedures. All biological material should be treated a potential source of SARS-COV-2. Staff must have formal training in the use of PPE and should be supervised by a colleague during donning and doffing. Patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should wear a surgical mask during transfer to and from theatre. Potential solutions exist in the literature to extend the use of surgical P2/N95 respirators in situations of limited supply.CONCLUSION:
PPE is advised for all high-risk procedures and when a patient's COVID-19 status is unknown. Surgical departments should facilitate staggered rostering, remote meeting attendance, and self-isolation of symptomatic staff. Vulnerable surgical staff should be identified and excluded from operations with a high risk of COVID-19 infection.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Infection Control
/
Health Personnel
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Disease Transmission, Infectious
/
Pandemics
/
Personal Protective Equipment
/
Betacoronavirus
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Reviews
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Oceania
Language:
English
Journal:
ANZ J Surg
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ans.16194
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