34 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • MARCH 18, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Need surgery during the pandemic?
Here are 6 questions you should ask
If you need surgery during the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,
you may wonder what the
procedure and recovery will be
like. You may even be tempted
to put it on hold. Prioritizing
your health is important, and the
good news is experts agree surgical
procedures in the United
States are safe.
“It is very safe to have surgery,
especially with all of the precautions
in place,” said Beverly K.
Philip, M.D., FACA, FASA, president
of the American Society
of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
“Surgeons, physician anesthesiologists
and other providers caring
for patients wear extensive
personal protective equipment
(PPE) and assess each patient to
ensure they receive the safest and
most appropriate care.”
As physician anesthesiologists,
Dr. Philip and her colleagues at
ASA have a unique position in
the surgical landscape. Physician
anesthesiologists are the most
highly skilled medical experts
in providing anesthesia care,
pain management and critical
care medicine with the education
and training that ensures
patient safety before, during and
aft er surgery. Th ey are involved
in nearly every procedure - from
joint replacement to open heart
surgery to childbirth - and provide
expert insight into precautions,
including steps to protect
patients from COVID-19.
“Patients should feel safe and
secure that they can have surgery
when they need it,” said Dr. Philip.
ASA recommends talking with
your health care team about
any concerns you have. During
Patient Safety Awareness Week,
March 14-20, the experts at ASA
are providing answers to six
common questions you may ask
ahead of your surgery:
Will I need a COVID-19
test before surgery?
Although it will depend on the
hospital or ambulatory (outpatient)
surgery center, it is likely
you will be required to have a
negative COVID-19 test before
surgery for the foreseeable future.
If you need emergency surgery
and you test positive or your
results aren’t available quickly,
your health care providers will
perform the procedure, but will
take extra precautions, such as
enhanced PPE and placing you
in quarantine for recovery. For
non-urgent surgery, ASA recommends
patients without symptoms
of COVID-19 have a negative
polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) COVID-19 test prior to
moving forward with surgery.
Does COVID-19 or
the vaccine interfere
with anesthesia?
Th ere is no evidence that either
COVID-19 or the vaccine interferes
with anesthesia. However,
because surgery is stressful on
the body and temporarily puts
extra strain on your immune system,
you should wait until you
are fully recovered from COVID-
19 or you are fully immunized
aft er vaccination before proceeding
with surgery.
Is it safe to have
surgery if I recently
had COVID-19 or have
been vaccinated?
Yes, you can have essential
or elective surgery once
you have fully recovered from
COVID-19. ASA recommends
waiting from four weeks (if
you had no symptoms or only
mild symptoms) to 12 weeks
(if you had been admitted to
the ICU). If you’ve been vaccinated,
your surgery should be
scheduled at least two weeks
after your final dose so you are
fully protected.
Should I wait until
I’m vaccinated before
having surgery?
If you are eligible for vaccination
and are having non-emergency
surgery such as hip or
knee replacement, it may be wise
to get vaccinated fi rst. If you are
not yet eligible for the vaccine,
talk to your surgeon or physician
anesthesiologist about the
best time to proceed.
Have rules for waiting
rooms and mask-wearing
changed forever?
Th e days of large families
gathered in waiting rooms are
likely gone. Some hospitals and
ambulatory surgery centers
don’t allow anyone to wait at the
facility, requiring the patient to
be dropped off and picked up
at a designated entrance. Some
hospitals and ambulatory surgery
centers allow one person
to wait for their loved one in
a waiting room with socially
distanced rules. And it is likely
patients and visitors will be
required to wear a mask the
entire time they are in the hospital
or ambulatory surgery
center.
Will scheduling or having
surgery take longer now?
Th is will depend on the hospital
or ambulatory surgery center.
Most have added time between
surgeries for increased cleaning,
so your surgery may occur
later in the day than it would
have previously, or take longer
to schedule.
Although the pandemic has
created the need for more rules
and guidelines, it’s important to
remember surgery and health
care in general are safe.
— Courtesy of BPT
/WWW.QNS.COM
