Interventional Radiology Procedures for COVID-19 Patients: How we Do it

Area of Science:

• Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Radiology

Background:

• COVID-19 rapidly became a global pandemic.
• Preventing intra-hospital infection is critical for managing COVID-19 patients.
• Lessons learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak inform current protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline safe workflows for interventional procedures on COVID-19 patients.
• To provide guidance for procedures performed at the bedside in isolation rooms.
• To detail protocols for patient transfer to interventional radiology centers.

Main Methods:

• Development of standardized interventional procedure workflows.
• Collaboration with multiple hospital stakeholders.
• Adaptation of protocols based on previous infectious disease outbreak experiences.

Main Results:

• Established protocols for performing interventional procedures on COVID-19 patients.
• Defined workflows for both bedside and interventional radiology center settings.
• Enhanced preparedness for managing infectious disease outbreaks in procedural settings.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare providers need to be proficient in performing procedures for COVID-19 patients.
• Standardized workflows are essential for preventing intra-hospital infections.
• Preparedness, informed by past outbreaks, is key to managing pandemics.