• Yavuz Onur Danacioglu, Mustafa Soytas, Salih Polat, Osman Ozdemir, Ozgur Arikan, Mustafa Gurkan Yenice, Ramazan Gokhan Atis, and Ali Ihsan Tasci.
• Department of Urology, Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
• Int. J. Clin. Pract. 2021 Aug 1; 75 (8): e14309.

ObjectiveThe beta-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the clinical approach of 93% of urologists worldwide, and this situation has affected the use of laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic methods, which are known as minimally invasive surgery (MIS). This study aimed to determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on MIS in urology practice at national level.Design, Setting And ParticipantsA total of 234 urologists in Turkey participated in an online survey between August 22 and September 23, 2020.Outcome Measurements And Statistical AnalysisDescriptive statistical analyses were conducted to determine the participants' demographic characteristics and responses to multiple-choice questions.ResultsWhile 54% of urologists stated that they were concerned about the possibility that the patients planned to undergo MIS were carrying COVID-19 or false-negative for the virus, 51% considered that open surgery was safer than MIS in this regard. The pandemic led to a difference in the preferences of 40% of the urologists in relation to open or MIS methods, and during the pandemic, 39% of the urologists always directed their patients to open surgery. It was determined that during the pandemic, there was a statistical decrease in the intensity and weekly application of MIS methods among all surgical procedures compared to the pre-pandemic (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). MIS was preferred for oncological operations by 97.3% of the urologists during the pandemic, with the most performed operation being radical nephrectomy (90.7%). Among oncological operations, radical prostatectomy was most frequently postponed. To prevent virus transmission during MIS, 44% of the urologists reported that they always used an additional evacuation system and 52% took additional precautions. There were a total of 27 healthcare workers who took part in MIS and tested positive for COVID-19 after the operation.ConclusionsAlthough the number of operations has decreased during the ongoing pandemic, MIS is a method that can be preferred due to its limited contamination and mortality in urology practice provided that safety measures are taken and guideline recommendations are followed.© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

9 keywords...

hide…