The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic rise of the number of patients admitted to hospital around the globe who either inadvertently spread the virus or become infected once on site.
Researchers working together through the COVIDSurg collaborative have identified that patients who had their operation and hospital care in ‘COVID-19 free’ areas had better outcomes. ‘COVID-19 free’ areas improved the safety of surgery by having a strict policy that no patients treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection were mixed with those undergoing surgery.
Data collected from 9171 patients in 55 countries has shown, for the first time, that hospitals around the world can continue to operate safely on patients by setting up these areas that minimise transmission of the virus.
The full paper can be viewed here.