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COVID-19 pandemic: is it time for shared surgical guidelines? A systematic review of the literature

Monica Ortenzi1, Andrea Balla2, Emanuele Botteri3

  • 1Department of General and Emergency Surgery, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy - monica.ortenzi@gmail.com.

Minerva Surgery
|April 13, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted surgical activity, but surgeons must find ways to provide essential general surgery services. This review synthesizes international guidelines to help preserve surgical care during the ongoing pandemic.

Area of Science:

  • General Surgery
  • Pandemic Response
  • Surgical Guidelines

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted global surgical practices.
  • Surgeons face challenges in maintaining regular surgical activity amidst healthcare resource demands.
  • A need exists for integrated strategies to manage surgical care during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive overview of international guidelines for general surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To encourage the development of shared guidelines for sustained surgical assistance.
  • To address the coexistence of surgical care and pandemic management.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) standards.
  • Searches conducted across major scientific databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science.
  • Inclusion of guidelines published between March and May 2020.

Main Results:

  • Analysis of 18,579 articles identified up to February 2021.
  • Inclusion of five key articles presenting guidelines from prominent surgical societies.
  • Guidelines from ESTES, SAGES, EAES, ELSA, EHS, and IOS-IBD were synthesized.

Conclusions:

  • The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is likely to become an endemic issue requiring long-term management.
  • Future healthcare strategies must enable the coexistence of COVID-19 management and surgical services.
  • Avoiding a choice between pandemic response and essential surgery is critical for patient care.
Abstract

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