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Clinical Questions and Answers on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy during the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic
Author(s) -
Furuta Takahisa,
Irisawa Atsushi,
Matsumoto Takayuki,
Kawai Takashi,
Inaba Tomoki,
Kanno Atsushi,
Katanuma Akio,
Kawahara Yoshiro,
Matsuda Koji,
Mizukami Kazuhiro,
Otsuka Takao,
Yasuda Ichiro,
Fujishiro Mitsuhiro,
Tanaka Shinji,
Fujimoto Kazuma,
Fukuda Shinsaku,
Iishi Hiroyasu,
Igarashi Yoshinori,
Inui Kazuo,
Ueki Toshiharu,
Ogata Haruhiko,
Kato Mototsugu,
Shiotani Akiko,
Higuchi Kazuhide,
Fujita Naotaka,
Murakami Kazunari,
Yamamoto Hironori,
Ito Tohru,
Okazaki Kazuichi,
Kitagawa Yuko,
Mine Tetsuya,
Tajiri Hisao,
Inoue Haruhiro
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
digestive endoscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.5
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1443-1661
pISSN - 0915-5635
DOI - 10.1111/den.13757
Subject(s) - medicine , endoscopy , personal protective equipment , pandemic , covid-19 , endoscope , medical emergency , disease , intensive care medicine , surgery , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Some situations may require endoscopy during the COVID‐19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic. Here, we describe the necessary precautions in the form of clinical questions and answers (Q&A) regarding the safe deployment of gastrointestinal endoscopy in such situations while protecting endoscopy staff and patients from infection. Non‐urgent endoscopy should be postponed. The risk of infection in patients should be evaluated in advance by questionnaire and body temperature. The health of staff must be checked every day. Decisions to employ endoscopy should be based on the institutional conditions and aims of endoscopy. All endoscopic staff need to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The endoscope and other devices should be cleaned and disinfected after procedures in accordance with the relevant guidelines. Optimal management of the endoscopy unit is required. Endoscopy for infected patients or those with suspected infection demands exceptional caution. When a patient who undergoes endoscopy is later found to have COVID‐19, the members of staff involved are considered exposed to the virus and must not work for at least 14 days if their PPE is considered insufficient. When PPE resources are limited, some equipment may be used continuously throughout a shift as long as it is not contaminated. Details of the aforementioned protective measures are described.