Patient Safety Concerns in Urologic Cancer Surgery and Treatment During the COVID-19 Outbreak
John W. Davis, MD, Professor of Urology and Director of the Urosurgical Prostate Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, discusses how the Center is dealing with the COVID-19 crisis by setting up a committee to determine on a case-by-case basis which surgeries are to move forward, as well as which elective surgeries are still being performed. While trying to be cognizant of the need to conserve resources, the urology department is focusing primarily on large renal tumors and invasive bladder cancer. Overall, they have reduced the OR and ICU capacity to about 25% in order to make room for COVID-19 admissions. Dr. Davis also details the need to test all patients for COVID-19 prior to any elective surgery in order to lessen potential negative outcomes, self-quarantine for two weeks prior to surgery, and, if possible, delay surgery altogether in order to prevent an undiagnosed patient from infecting the OR team. This is particularly true in favorable, intermediate-risk cases that can be delayed anywhere from six months to a year without affecting outcomes.
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