Infection control management strategy for operating room during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks have occurred in many countries around the world. The numbers of confirmed cases and deaths continue to increase. It is increasingly likely that COVID-19 patients will require emergency surgeries in the operating room (OR). As COVID-19 can easily be transmitted to healthcare workers and other patients during surgery, it is important to establish a set of infection prevent and control management strategy to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in the OR. Based on our experience in COVID-19 prevention and control in the OR, we introduce this COVID-19 prevention and control management strategy for preventing COVID-19 from spreading in the OR. This management strategy includes a number of COVID-19 prevention and control procedures including (I) conduct COVID-19 knowledge training at the early stage of outbreak, (II) formulate the surgery arrangement procedures and suspend the elective surgery if the patient confirmed to COVID-19, (III) divide an isolated OR area for COVID-19 surgery, (IV) preoperative preparation procedures, (V) procedures for wearing and removing personal protective equipment, (VI) anesthesia management, intraoperative management, (VII) post-operative disposable waste management and disinfection. This management strategy has worked very effectively since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan at the end of 2019. We have performed emergency surgeries on several COVID-19 confirmed patient and dozens of COVID-19 suspected patients under this COVID-19 prevention and control management strategy, and have achieved an excellent result of zero COVID-19 infection in the OR.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); anesthesia; infection control; operating room; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).