• Weixia Li, Jiapeng Huang, Xiangyang Guo, Jing Zhao, and M Susan Mandell.
• Department of Anesthesiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2021 May 1; 35 (5): 1503-1508.

AbstractAnesthesiologists have a high risk of infection with COVID-19 during perioperative care and as first responders to airway emergencies. The potential of becoming infected can be reduced by a systematic and integrated approach that assesses infection risk. The latter leads to an acceptable choice of materials and techniques for personal protection and prevention of cross-contamination to other patients and staff. The authors have presented a protocolized approach that uses diagnostic criteria to clearly define benchmarks from the medical history along with clinical symptoms and laboratory tests. Patients can then be rapidly assigned into 1 of 3 risk categories that direct the choice of protective materials and/or techniques. Each hospital can adapt this approach to develop a system that fits its individual resources. Educating medical staff about the proper use of high-risk areas for containment serves to protect staff and patients.Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

8 keywords...

hide…