Trauma and Acute-care Surgeons’ Perception of Personal Safety during the COVID-19 Pandemic

JOURNAL TITLE: Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery

Author
1. Tercio de Campos
2. Carlos Y Benítez
3. Salomone Di Saverio
4. Mohammad Azfar
ISSN
DOI
10.5005/jp-journals-10030-1282
Volume
9
Issue
2
Publishing Year
2020
Pages
3
Author Affiliations
    1. Department of Surgery, Faculdade de Medicina da Santa Casa de São Paulo, Brazil
    1. Department of General Surgery, University of Insubria, University, Varese, Italy; Hospital of Varese, ASST Sette Laghi, Regione Lombardia, Varese, Italy
    1. Department of Surgery, Royo Villanova Hospital/SALUD, AEC-Trauma and Emergency Surgery, DSTC-I Faculty, Zaragoza, Spain
    1. Department of Critical Care, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Article keywords

    Abstract

    The World Health Organization recognized in March 2020 the existence of a pandemic of the new coronavirus that appeared in China in late 2019, which was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this context, a survey was conducted with 125 trauma and emergency surgeons from across the world regarding the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the role of the surgeon in the pandemic, using an electronic survey. The study findings suggest that many surgeons work under inadequate conditions, particularly in South America, without the necessary supplies and equipment such as N95 masks and facial shields when contacting potentially contaminated patients. The findings indicate an increased risk of contamination by healthcare workers, which may result in losses of working professionals. Immediate measures must be taken to guarantee access to safety equipment throughout the globe, since all patients with emergency surgical conditions must be managed as potentially carrying the COVID-19 virus..

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