Surgical site infections - guidance for elective surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic - international recommendations and clinical experience

Autor: Axel Kramer, David Leaper, M. Golling, B. Roth, C. M. Krüger, Ojan Assadian, N.T. Mutters
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Journal of Hospital Infection
Journal of Hospital Infection
ISSN: 1532-2939
0195-6701
Popis: Summary Background The COVID-19 pandemic not only had an impact on public life and healthcare facilities in general, but also affected established surgical workflows for elective procedures. The strategy to protect patients and healthcare workers from infection by SARS-CoV-2 in surgical departments has needed step-by-step development. Based on the evaluation of international recommendations and guidelines, as well as personal experiences in a clinical “hot spot” and in a 450-bed surgical clinic, an adapted surgical site infection (SSI) prevention checklist was needed to develop concise instructions, which described roles and responsibilities of health care professionals that could be used for wider guidance in pandemic conditions. Method Publications of COVID-19-related recommendations and guidelines, produced by health authorities and organizations, such as WHO, US-CDC, ECDC, the American College of Surgery and the Robert Koch Institute, were retrieved, assessed and referenced up to January 31st, 2020. Additionally, clinical personal experiences in Germany were evaluated and considered. Results Part 1 of this guidance summarizes the experience of a tertiary care, surgical centre which utilised redundant hospital buildings for immediate spatial separation in a “hot spot” COVID-19 area. Part 2 outlines the successful screening and isolation strategy in a surgical clinic in a region of Germany with outbreaks in surrounding medical centres. Part 3 provides the synopsis of personal experiences and international recommendations suggested for implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Understanding of COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-2-related epidemiology, is constantly and rapidly changing, requiring continuous adaptation and re-evaluation of recommendations. Established national and local guidelines for continuation of surgical services and prevention of SSI require ongoing scrutiny and focused implementation. This manuscript presents a core facility checklist to support medical institutions to continue their clinical and surgical work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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