Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic: Surge Capacity Planning for Nonemergent Surgery

Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020 Aug;146(2):437-446. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000007075.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has confronted the U.S. health care system with unprecedented challenges amidst a tenuous economic environment. As inpatient hospitals across the country prepare for an overwhelming influx of highly contagious COVID-19 cases, many nonemergent procedures have been cancelled or indefinitely postponed without guidance regarding eventual safe accommodation of these procedures in the future. Given the potentially prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care use, it is imperative for plastic surgeons to collaborate with other medical and surgical specialties to develop surge capacity protocols that allow continuation of safe, high-quality, nonemergent procedures. The purpose of this article is to provide necessary and timely public health information relevant to plastic surgery and also share a conceptual framework to guide surge capacity protocols for nonemergent surgery.

MeSH terms

  • Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / standards
  • Betacoronavirus / isolation & purification
  • Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity*
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control*
  • Coronavirus Infections / therapy
  • Coronavirus Infections / transmission
  • Elective Surgical Procedures / standards
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / standards
  • Intersectoral Collaboration
  • Pandemics / prevention & control*
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures / standards
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / therapy
  • Pneumonia, Viral / transmission
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Regional Health Planning / organization & administration*
  • Regional Health Planning / standards
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Surge Capacity / organization & administration*
  • Surgery, Plastic / organization & administration*
  • Surgery, Plastic / standards
  • Surgicenters / organization & administration
  • Surgicenters / standards
  • Telemedicine / organization & administration
  • Telemedicine / standards
  • United States