COVID-19 and gastrointestinal endoscopy: What should be taken into account?

Pieter Sinonquel; Philip Roelandt; Ingrid Demedts; Laura Van Gerven; Christophe Vandenbriele; Alexander Wilmer; Eric Van Wijngaerden; Raf Bisschops

doi:10.1111/den.13706

COVID-19 and gastrointestinal endoscopy: What should be taken into account?

Dig Endosc. 2020 Jul;32(5):723-731. doi: 10.1111/den.13706. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Authors

Pieter Sinonquel^{1

2}, Philip Roelandt¹, Ingrid Demedts¹, Laura Van Gerven³, Christophe Vandenbriele⁴, Alexander Wilmer⁵, Eric Van Wijngaerden⁶, Raf Bisschops^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Departments of, Department of, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
² Department of Translational Research in Gastrointestinal Diseases (TARGID), Catholic University Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
³ Department of, Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁴ Department of, Cardiology and Intensive Care, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁶ Department of, General Internal Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Abstract

On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a subsequent impact on the entire world and health care system. Since the causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 houses in the aerodigestive tract, activities in the gastrointestinal outpatient clinic and endoscopy unit should be limited to emergencies only. Health care professionals are faced with the need to perform endoscopic or endoluminal emergency procedures in patients with a confirmed positive or unknown COVID-19 status. With this report, we aim to provide recommendations and practical relevant information for gastroenterologists based on the limited amount of available data and local experience, to guarantee a high-quality patient care and adequate infection prevention in the gastroenterology clinic.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; endoscopy; personal protective equipment; protection management.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control*
Emergencies
Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / methods
Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / standards*
Female
Humans
Infection Control / methods
Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / prevention & control*
Male
Occupational Health*
Pandemics / prevention & control*
Patient Safety
Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control*
Practice Guidelines as Topic / standards*
World Health Organization