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Does the COVID-19 personal protective equipment impair the surgeon's performance?
Jan P Kolb1, Annika Hättich1, André Strahl1
1Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery
|March 20, 2022
Summary
COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) did not significantly impact surgeon performance in simulated surgeries. These findings suggest that surgeries performed with enhanced PPE during the pandemic are safe for patients.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Innovation
- Infectious Disease Control
- Occupational Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) for surgical teams.
- Concerns exist regarding the potential impact of COVID-19 PPE on surgeon performance and patient safety.
- SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to pose global health challenges, requiring stringent protective measures in healthcare settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 specific personal protective equipment (PPE) on surgeon performance during simulated surgical procedures.
- To determine if enhanced PPE negatively impacts surgeons' mental and physical capabilities, potentially affecting surgical outcomes.
- To assess the safety of surgical procedures conducted with COVID-19 PPE.
Main Methods:
- Ten experienced trauma surgeons performed simulated distal tibial fracture surgeries on a Sawbone® model.
- Surgeons completed surgeries wearing either regular PPE or specialized COVID-19 PPE under standardized conditions.
- Physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, SpO2, respiratory rate) and cognitive performance (attentional performance tests) were measured before and after simulated surgeries.
Main Results:
- While percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2) decreased with increased PPE layers, vital signs and capillary blood gas parameters remained unaffected.
- Attentional performance tests showed a significant impairment compared to baseline when wearing PPE, but no meaningful differences were observed between regular and COVID-19 PPE.
- No relevant differences in heart rate, respiratory rate, or blood pressure were noted between the two PPE conditions.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) required during the COVID-19 pandemic does not significantly impair surgeon's mental or physical performance.
- Surgical procedures conducted with COVID-19 PPE are deemed safe and do not appear to increase patient risk.
- The study supports the continued use of appropriate PPE in surgical settings during infectious disease outbreaks.
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