Managing Suspected COVID-19 Patients in Surgical Settings: An Integrative Review

Introduction: The need for surgery in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic may be a risk for health professionals. For urgent diseases requiring surgical interventions, appropriate decisions should be made according to international recommendations on management of the SARS-CoV2 virus. The study aims to describe and analyze the different recommendations for managing suspected COVID-19 patients in surgical settings. Materials and Methods: An integrative descriptive literature review was conducted on articles published between November 2019 and April 2020 in PubMed, Medline, Science-Direct, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. Results: 12 studies related to measures and recommendations for the management of suspected COVID-19 patients met the inclusion criteria and were selected. During preoperative care, aspects such as the preparation of the operating room, the use of personal protection equipment, and patient transfer to the operating room were highlighted. During intraoperative care, measures for anesthesia, airway management, cleaning and disinfection of operating rooms, and specific recommendations for postoperative care are highlighted. Discussion: Personal protective equipment and techniques to minimize the risk of cross-infection are reviewed. Conclusions: The surgical team should maintain standard measures for the management of surgical suspected COVID-19 patients to prevent the spread and possible infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus and ensure safe surgical care.