Delivery of Protocolised Emergency Surgical Care During COVID-19 Pandemic

Emergency general surgical care during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique set of considerations and challenges. Patients presenting with acute surgical conditions and concomitant COVID-19 infection have higher risk of mortality and morbidity. The investigators present their experience with COVID-19 positive patients presenting with acute surgical conditions and reviewed the implementation of a protocolized pathway to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 infection.

All COVID-19 positive patients who presented to the acute general surgical service over a 2-month period were identified. Patient data including demographics, surgical diagnosis, mortality, morbidity and hospital length of stay was collected. Based on the investigators' early experience from the first patient, the investigators designed a protocolized institutional pathway which incorporated the risk of COVID-19 infection and urgency of operation.