Management of patients requiring reconstructive breast surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: recommendations from the BC Regional Breast Reconstruction Network

Esta S Bovill; Christopher Doherty; Rebecca Warburton; Sheina A Macadam; Nancy Van Laeken; Peter A Lennox; Kathryn V Isaac

doi:10.1503/cjs.005221

Management of patients requiring reconstructive breast surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: recommendations from the BC Regional Breast Reconstruction Network

Can J Surg. 2021 Jul 23;64(4):E377-E380. doi: 10.1503/cjs.005221.

Authors

Esta S Bovill¹, Christopher Doherty¹, Rebecca Warburton¹, Sheina A Macadam¹, Nancy Van Laeken¹, Peter A Lennox¹, Kathryn V Isaac¹

Affiliation

¹ From the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Bovill, Doherty, Macadam, Laeken, Lennox, Isaac); the Department of Surgery, Providence Breast Center, Vancouver, BC (Bovill, Warburton, Van Laeken, Isaac); and the Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Warburton).

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges in health care, threatening access and delivery of medical services across all sectors. Patients with breast cancer desiring breast reconstruction require timely interdisciplinary care; resource limitations threaten access to this elective reconstructive element of cancer care. An expert panel was convened to identify challenges, recommend preliminary solutions, and identify important future directions in anticipation of prolonged restrictions. This paper presents consensus recommendations for care of breast cancer reconstruction patients during the pandemic based on expert opinion from the BC Breast Reconstruction Network.

MeSH terms

Algorithms
Attitude of Health Personnel
Breast Neoplasms / surgery*
COVID-19 / epidemiology*
COVID-19 / prevention & control
Canada
Consensus
Elective Surgical Procedures
Female
Humans
Mammaplasty*
Patient Selection*
Triage