Philippine Journal of Surgical Specialties Vol. 75, No. 1, January-June 2020, pp 9
PCS Guideline on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Surgery During COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s): Philippine College of Surgeons
Abstract:
Safety of the surgical team is of paramount importance and there should be no compromise in the use of the adequate and proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
- During this rapid spread of the COVID 19 pandemic, it is prudent to assume all patients for surgery is COVID-19 infected unless proven otherwise. Hence, appropriate PPE should be worn when inside the Operating Room and strictly by all members of the surgical team. (March 22, 2020, PCS Bulletin)
- A surgeon who wore the recommended adequate and proper PPE while attending to a COVID-19 positive patients, is NOT considered a Person Under Monitoring (PUM). Quarantine at this point is not routinely recommended.
- If any member of the surgical team develops symptoms, treat them in the same category as Persons Under Investigation (PUI).
- In the above situation, the appropriate contact tracing and COVID-19 testing is performed.
- There is no available evidence regarding safety with the use of alternative PPEs.
- It has been found that the virus can remain viable and infectious in aerosols for hours and on surfaces up to days (depending on the inoculum shed).
- Surgical team PPE is composed of the following:
- Buffer Room (ante-room)
- Hooded isolation gown
- Double caps
- Medical protective mask (N95)
- Medical goggles
- Boot covers
- Two layers of Latex gloves
- Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR), if available replaces N95 and medical goggles
- Upon entry to the OR
- Sterile disposable non-woven polypropylene surgical gown
- Another layer of sterile gloves
- Buffer Room (ante-room)
Key words: Safety of the surgical team