[Surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic : Recommendations on operative procedures]

In February 2020 Germany was also hit by the SARS-CoV‑2 pandemic. Even patients infected by SARS-CoV‑2 or COVID-19 may need operative procedures. Currently, no uniform recommendations exist on precautions to be taken when operating on these patients. Furthermore, they may differ from one hospital to another.

The task force COVID-19 of the emergency, intensive and severely injured section of the German Trauma Society (DGU e. V.) has developed consensus-based recommendations on surgical treatment of patients with SARS-CoV‑2 infections. Great importance is placed on the implementation in hospitals at all levels of care.

The indications for surgical interventions in patients with COVID-19 infections require an extremely critical evaluation. When indicated these surgical intervention should ideally be performed in a separate operating theater. All personnel involved should wear personal protective equipment with FFP2 masks, face shields and double gloves. The emergency team in the resuscitation bay should generally wear the same personal protective equipment. Special training is mandatory and the exposure of team members should be minimized.

The recommendations are principally used for all kinds of surgery and comply with the currently available knowledge. Nevertheless, all recommendations represent a compromise between maximum safety of all medical staff and practicability in the routine hospital workflow.