Open AccessResuming elective paediatric surgical procedures in the era of COVID-19
Author(s) -
Khaled Al-Omar,
Sohail Bakkar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
african journal of paediatric surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.163
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 0189-6725
pISSN - 0974-5998
DOI - 10.4103/ajps.ajps_96_20
Subject(s) - medicine , timeline , elective surgery , population , intensive care medicine , health care , pandemic , covid-19 , disease , surgery , environmental health , infectious disease (medical specialty) , archaeology , economics , history , economic growth
The novel coronavirus and the disease it causes COVID-19, like other viral outbreaks, have an unpredictable timeline. Therefore, a triumph in the battle against COVID-19 could only be achieved if a health care system's capacity to support a potentially overwhelming increase in critical patient care needs is maintained, and the viral curve is flattened. Accordingly, health care bodies around the globe called upon prioritising appropriate resource allocation as it relates to elective invasive procedures and minimising the use of essential items required to care for patients. The unpredictability COVID-19 timeline in the absence of effective drug treatments and vaccination along with the restrictive health care policies implemented suggest that patients may be deprived of access to needed surgical care, likely for many months. However, the potential undue delay in delivering essential elective surgical care may have a more detrimental impact on patients' health compared to that of COVID-19 itself. This particularly applies to the paediatric population in which infection rates have been demonstrated to be considerably lower and mortalities have not been reported yet. Therefore, the need emerges for actions to be taken that allow for the resumption of essential elective surgical procedures in this population of patients.