Is It Safe to Have Surgery During COVID-19?

by: Bradley Hill, MD

Here in Santa Clara County, we have endured seven weeks of COVID-19 shelter in place. As we approach week eight, we are seeing gradual easing of hospital restrictions. Local hospitals are laying the ground work to reopen operating rooms to essential and elective cases. We realize many are wondering if it is safe to have surgery yet.

Throughout the pandemic, vascular surgeons have continued treating urgent cases such as ruptured aneurysms, ischemic limbs, symptomatic carotid artery disease, and hemodialysis access. 

As a vascular surgeon, reopening the ORs is welcome news. It means our shelter in place efforts have paid off; we have flattened the curve allowing our hospitals to properly care for critically-ill patients, and as united neighbors, we have saved the lives of parents, grandparents, and others in high risk categories. 

Santa Clara County, once considered a COVID-19 hotspot, is no longer that. These last seven weeks have allowed doctors, researchers, scientists, and other public health workers the time to gather, analyze, extrapolate, share data and to learn from each other. Yet, many unanswered questions remain about the nature of coronavirus infection and spread such as:

• Why do some individuals have no or minimal symptoms while others develop serious illness with organ failure or even death?
• Are those who recover after COVID-19 infection susceptible to reinfection and can they carry the virus again, potentially putting others at risk without having symptoms themselves?
• How does testing play into controlling potential outbreaks as we enter the long phase of living with the disease and reopening the economy?
• How soon can we expect a vaccine and what is the likelihood it will be effective?

As a global community, we will continue working alongside other nations in an unprecedented way to identify treatments that work, and eventually, produce a proven, effective vaccine to end the pandemic.

But, today, we work to resume normal healthcare and surgery schedules, because of what we do know. We know how long COVID-19 lasts on surfaces, how it is transmitted, and how we can prevent others and ourselves from becoming infected.

All of us in healthcare have had to adjust to a new normal. Workflows and protocols that seemed written in stone just a few months ago have evolved to meet the needs of today. Telehealth is now accepted as the best way to conduct much of what we do when a physical exam is not absolutely required.

We realize the pandemic is not over, but patients can only put their vascular healthcare on the back burner for so long before they risk an unfortunate tipping point. To minimize risks, new precautions are being put in place so we can start reopening the operating rooms safely. Many of our local hospitals are implementing the following:

• COVID-19 testing for both surgeons and patients
• Controlled entrances
• Temperature checks for everyone
• Physical distancing
• Face masks at all times for visitors and healthcare workers
• Strict visitation policies
• Frequent disinfectant cleaning of public areas
• Limiting shared common space

These COVID-19 safety protocols are warranted and will help ensure confidence as we get back to work.

If you have been to Hill Vascular & Vein Center since shelter in place started, you know we have implemented new safety protocols as well. Our COVID-19 protocol involves the following:

• Physical distancing (many of our staff are working remotely to lessen the amount of people in office)
• Temperature checks for all entering the clinic
• Face masks for all staff and patients
• Closed waiting room
• Parking lot check-in
• Exam room check-out
• Strict and thorough disinfectant cleaning between patients in all exam rooms – beyond our routine cleaning
• Prohibiting any non-essential visitors into our clinic (delivery, sales reps, postal, etc.)
• Limiting the number of patients in the clinic at one time

We put the health and safety of our patients first and always will. If you have any concerns about your vascular health, please call us today. We will listen to your concerns and work with you to address your problem in the best possible way.