Anaesthetic management of patients with COVID-19: infection prevention and control measures in the operating theatre

3D Printing for Medical Applications: Current State of the Art and Perspectives during the COVID-19 Crisis

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected over one hundred million people worldwide and has resulted in over two million deaths. In addition to the toll that coronavirus takes on the health of humans infected with the virus and the potential long term effects of infection, the repercussions of the pandemic on the economy as well as on the healthcare system have been enormous. The global supply of equipment necessary for dealing with the pandemic experienced extreme stress as healthcare systems around the world attempted to acquire personal protective equipment for their workers and medical devices for treating COVID-19. This review describes how 3D printing is currently being used in life saving surgeries such as heart and lung surgery and how 3D printing can address some of the worldwide shortage of personal protective equipment, by examining recent trends of the use of 3D printing and how these technologies can be applied during and after the pandemic. We review the use of 3D printed models for treating the long term effects of COVID-19. We then focus on methods for generating face shields and different types of respirators. We conclude with areas for future investigation and application of 3D printing technology.

Peripartum anesthetic management of women with SARS-CoV-2 infection in eight medical centers across three European countries: prospective cohort observation study

OBJECTIVE

Several reports of obstetric anesthesia management have been published since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to collect high-quality broad and detailed data from different university medical centers in several European Society of Anesthesiologist countries.

METHODS

This prospective observational survey was performed in eight medical centers in Spain, Israel and Portugal from 1^st April to 31^st July 2020. Institutional review board approval was received at each participating center. Inclusion criteria: all women with a positive test for COVID-19. Retrieved data included maternal, delivery, anesthetic, postpartum details, and neonatal outcomes. Descriptive data are presented, and outcomes were compared for women with versus without respiratory signs and symptoms.

RESULTS

Women with respiratory symptoms (20/12.1%) had significantly higher mean (standard deviation) temperature (37.2 °C (0.8) versus 36.8 °C (0.6)), were older (34.1 (6.7) years versus 30.5 (6.6)) and had higher body mass index kg m^-2 - (29.5 (7.5) versus 28.2 (5.1)). Women with respiratory symptoms delivered at a significantly earlier gestational age (50% < 37 weeks) with a 65% cesarean delivery rate (versus 22.1% in the group without respiratory symptoms) and 5-fold increased rate of emergency cesarean delivery, 30% performed under general anesthesia. A higher rate of intrauterine fetal death (3%) was observed than expected from the literature (0.2-0.3%) in developed countries. There was no evidence of viral vertical transmission.

CONCLUSION

Well-functioning neuraxial analgesia should be available to manage laboring women with respiratory symptoms, as there is a higher frequency of emergency cesarean delivery. We report a higher rate of undiagnosed parturient and intrauterine fetal death.

Personal Protective Equipment in COVID-19: Impacts on Health Performance, Work-Related Injuries, and Measures for Prevention

OBJECTIVE

To assess impact of personal protective equipment (PPE) on healthcare providers (HCPs) in caring for COVID-19 patients.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted over 50 hospitals in China. Descriptive analyses and Chi-square tests were performed on the collected data.

RESULTS

All 104 frontline HCPs report negative impacts of PPE on their clinical performance, 97% of them experienced discomfort and injuries caused by wearing PPE for long hours. Frontline HCPs provided suggestions to alleviate the negative impacts and to enhance communication between healthcare staff and patients. Two hundred eighty two non-frontline HCPs also revealed similar problems; however, we recorded a few discrepancies between answers given by frontline and non-frontline HCPs.

CONCLUSIONS

Wearing PPE for long hours degrades health performance. Measures were suggested to improve the design of PPE for protecting HCPs and enhancing their services to COVID patients.

Intubation of the patient with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection

We propose a set of recommendations from our clinical practice for intubation of the patient with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, with a goal to safely securing the airway while optimizing infection prevention practices to reduce the risk to healthcare personnel.

COVID-19 preparedness and response at a large UK major trauma operating theatres department

This article aims to describe the early experience of a large major trauma operating theatres department in the East of England during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To date and to our knowledge, a small amount of reports describing a surgical department’s response to this unprecedented pandemic have been published, but a well-documented account from within the United Kingdom (UK) has not yet been reported in the literature. We describe our preparation and response, including: operating theatres management during the COVID-19 pandemic, operational aspects and communication, leadership and support. The process review of measures presented covers approximately the two-month period between March and May 2020 and emphasises the fluidity of procedures needed. We discuss how significant challenges were overcome to secure implementation and reliable oversight. The visible presence of clinical leads well sighted on every aspect of the response guaranteed standardisation of procedures, while sustaining a vital feedback loop. Finally, we conclude that an effective response requires rapid analysis of the complex problem that is of providing care for patients intraoperatively during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that retrospective sense-making is essential to maintain adaptability.

Ocular oncology practice guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic-An expert consensus

The outbreak of rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019 has witnessed a major transformation in the health care system worldwide. This has led to the re-organization of the specialty services for the effective utilization of available resources and ensuring the safety of patients and healthcare workers. Suspension of oncology services will have major implications on cancer care due to delayed diagnosis and treatment leading to irreversible adverse consequences. Therefore various oncology organizations have called for a continuation of cancer care during this crisis with diligence. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the clinicians to transform the components of care from screening to outpatient care and primary management. The purpose of this article is to establish guidelines and recommendations for ocular oncology in the management of ocular tumors set by a multidisciplinary team of experts including ocular, medical and radiation oncologists, and pathologists. As the pandemic is evolving fast, it will require constant updates and reformation of health strategies and guidelines for safe and quality health care.