ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Urology and Nephrology 2021 June;73(3):384-91

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6051.20.03923-5

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Urologic surgery in a safe hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic scenario

Rocco PAPALIA ¹, Rita CATALDO ², Rossana ALLONI ³, Karl H. PANG ⁴, Antonio ALCINI ¹, Gerardo FLAMMIA ¹, Annamaria SALERNO ¹, Maria G. NOTARANGELO ⁵, Silvia ANGELETTI ⁶, Antonella VENDITTI ⁵, Lorenzo SOMMELLA ⁵, Roberto M. SCARPA ¹, Francesco ESPERTO ¹ ✉

¹ Department of Urology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy; ² Unit of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy; ³ Clinical Direction, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy; ⁴ Unit of Academic Urology, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; ⁵ Health Direction, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy; ⁶ Unit of Clinical Laboratory Science, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic induced a global emergency that overwhelmed most hospitals around the world. Access to hospitals has been restricted to selective oncological and urgent patients to minimize surgeries requiring Intensive Care Unit care. All other kind of non-urgent and benign surgeries have been rescheduled. The burden of oncological and urgent cases on the healthcare system has increased.
METHODS: We have been asked to become the referral center for major oncological and urgent urological surgeries, increasing our surgical volume. Through meticulous hospital protocols on PPE, use of nasopharyngeal swabs, controlled hospital access and the prompt management of suspected/positive cases, we were able to perform 31% more urological surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period in 2019.
RESULTS: We observed a 72% increase in oncological surgical procedures and 150% in urgent procedures.
CONCLUSIONS: Our experience shows how the management of oncological and urgent cases can be maintained during unexpected, global emergencies, such as COVID-19.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19; Urology; Oncology service, hospital; Surgical procedures, operative; Telemedicine