Letter to the Editor: COVID-19 and Perioperative Considerations

Dear Editor,

I would like to discuss on the publication entitled “Perioperative Considerations During Emergency General Surgery in the Era of COVID-19: A U.S. Experience. ¹ ” Orthopoulos et al. noted that “Care of patients with acute surgical problems is adjusted to minimize exposing health care providers to this highly contagious virus. ¹ ” In fact, it is necessary to adjust for any surgical procedures during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Unnecessary surgical procedures including elective laparoscopic operation should be postponed. The recommendations by Orthopoulos et al. for proper management in pre-, intra-, and postoperative phases are useful. ¹ In fact, the management has to cover all phases and should focus on all involved staff, not only surgeon but also nurse, anesthesiologist, medical assistant, etc. Also, there should not be specific but universal recommendations for every patient regardless of COVID-19 status. Since it is possible that an asymptomatic COVID-19 might get operation without diagnosis, ² the universal prevention for all cases is needed.