Chest Tube Drainage in the Age of COVID-19.

Patients with COVID-19 are at risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. Barotrauma in these patients often leads to clinically significant pneumothorax, which necessitates chest tube thoracostomy. However, given the mode of transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus and the aerosolizing nature of the procedure, special considerations and care must be taken to mitigate the exposure risks to health care personnel. This article discusses the risk mitigation strategies proposed and under review at the authors' institution.

Results of COVID-minimal Surgical Pathway During Surge-phase of COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The outcomes of patients treated on the COVID-minimal pathway were evaluated during a period of surging COVID-19 hospital admissions, to determine the safety of continuing to perform urgent operations during the pandemic. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Crucial treatments were delayed for many patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, over concerns for hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections. To protect cancer patients whose survival depended on timely surgery, a "COVID-minimal pathway" was created. METHODS: Patients who underwent a surgical procedure on the pathway between April and May 2020 were evaluated. The "COVID-minimal surgical pathway" consisted of: (A) evolving best-practices in COVID-19 transmission-reduction, (B) screening patients and staff, (C) preoperative COVID-19 patient testing, (D) isolating pathway patients from COVID-19 patients. Patient status through 2 weeks from discharge was determined as a reflection of hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections. RESULTS: After implementation, pathway screening processes excluded 7 COVID-19-positive people from interacting with pathway (4 staff and 3 patients). Overall, 122 patients underwent 125 procedures on pathway, yielding 83 admissions (42 outpatient procedures). The median age was 64 (56-79) and 57% of patients were female. The most common surgical indications were cancer affecting the uterus, genitourinary tract, colon, lung or head and neck. The median length of admission was 3 days (1-6). Repeat COVID-19 testing performed on 27 patients (all negative), including 9 patients evaluated in an emergency room and 8 readmitted patients. In the postoperative period, no patient developed a COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSIONS: A COVID-minimal pathway comprised of physical space modifications and operational changes may allow urgent cancer treatment to safely continue during the COVID-19 pandemic, even during the surge-phase.

Pandemic Recovery Using a COVID-Minimal Cancer Surgery Pathway.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created unprecedented disruption in health care delivery around the world. In an effort to prevent hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections, most hospitals have severely curtailed elective surgery, performing only surgeries if the patient's survival or permanent function would be compromised by a delay in surgery. As hospitals emerge from the pandemic, it will be necessary to progressively increase surgical activity at a time when hospitals continue to care for COVID-19 patients. In an attempt to mitigate the risk of nosocomial infection, we have created a patient care pathway designed to minimize risk of exposure of patients coming into the hospital for scheduled procedures. The COVID-minimal surgery pathway is a predetermined patient flow, which dictates the locations, personnel, and materials that come in contact with our cancer surgery population, designed to minimize risk for virus transmission. We outline the approach that allowed a large academic medical center to create a COVID-minimal cancer surgery pathway within 7 days of initiating discussions. Although the pathway represents a combination of recommended practices, there are no data to support its efficacy. We share the pathway concept and our experience so that others wishing to similarly align staff and resources toward the protection of patients may have an easier time navigating the process.

Effect of preoperative gabapentin and acetaminophen on opioid consumption in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) are particularly vulnerable to opioid-induced sedation and hypoventilation. Accordingly, reducing opioid consumption in these patients is a primary goal of multimodal analgesic regimens. Although administration of preoperative gabapentin and acetaminophen has been shown to decrease postoperative opioid consumption in other surgeries, this approach has not been studied in VATS lobectomy. Our objective was to examine the impact of the addition of preoperative gabapentin and acetaminophen to a VATS lobectomy multimodal analgesic plan on postoperative opioid consumption, nausea/vomiting, and sedation. METHODS: With IRB approval, we performed a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent VATS lobectomy at a single center between 2015 and 2016 to identify those that received preoperative gabapentin and acetaminophen and those that received neither. Opioid consumption in the first 24 hours postoperatively was converted to oral morphine equivalents (OMEQs). Postoperative sedation was evaluated using Aldrete scores and the percentage of patients requiring antiemetics in the first 24 hours was also examined. RESULTS: There were 133 patients who were opioid naive: 31 received preoperative gabapentin and acetaminophen and 102 received neither. Median 24 hour postoperative opioid consumption was lower but not statistically significant in the gabapentin and acetaminophen group vs. neither (36 mg vs. 45 mg, p = 0.08). Notably, there was a change in the distribution of opioid consumption, with no patients in the gabapentin and acetaminophen group requiring more than 200 mg OMEQ in the first 24 hours postoperatively. No significant difference in postoperative nausea/vomiting or sedation was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of preoperative gabapentin and acetaminophen to a VATS lobectomy multimodal analgesic regimen reduces the incidence of high dose postoperative opioid consumption without observed negative side effects.