The International Consensus Group developed a new set of guidelines aimed at minimizing pathogen transfers and COVID-19 spread as elective orthopedic surgeries resume.
Five things to know about the guidelines, which came out July 15 in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery:
1. The guidelines were reviewed by an international panel of 77 expert physicians in orthopedic surgery, infectious disease, microbiology, virology and anesthesia. They participated in two rounds of voting based on available scientific literature.
2. The recommendations cover a range of topics, including patient selection, screening guidance, testing options, ventilator considerations and sterilization techniques. They are divided into four categories: general, preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative.
3. Each of the 30 recommendations is categorized as "strong," "moderate" or "weak," depending on the results of delegate voting. Sixteen recommendations were categorized as strong.
4. Notable recommendations include conducting mandatory diagnostic testing before elective surgery in areas with a high prevalence of COVID-19 and considering the use of regional anesthesia when possible to avoid increasing the risk of virus transmission.
5. The guidelines may need to be updated "as new evidence" emerges, the consensus group noted.
Click here to read the guidelines.