The COVID-19 pandemic induced a global emergency that overwhelmed most hospitals around the world. Access to Hospitals has been restricted to selective oncological and urgent patients to minimize surgeries requiring Intensive Care Unit care. All other kind of non- urgent and benign surgeries have been rescheduled. The burden of oncological and urgent cases on the healthcare system has increased. We have been asked to become the referral center for major oncological and urgent urological surgeries, increasing our surgical volume. Through meticulous hospital protocols on PPE, use of nasopharyngeal swabs, controlled hospital access and the prompt management of suspected/positive cases, we were able to perform 31% more urological surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period in 2019. We observed a 72% increase in oncological surgical procedures and 150% in urgent procedures. Our experience shows how the management of oncological and urgent cases can be maintained during unexpected, global emergencies, such as COVID-19.
Minerva urologica e nefrologica = The Italian journal of urology and nephrology. 2020 Jun 22 [Epub ahead of print]
Rocco Papalia, Rita Cataldo, Rossana Alloni, Karl H Pang, Antonio Alcini, Gerardo Flammia, Annamaria Salerno, Maria Grazia Notarangelo, Silvia Angeletti, Antonella Venditti, Lorenzo Sommella, Roberto M Scarpa, Francesco Esperto
Department of Urology, Campus Bio-medico, University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Unit of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico, University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Clinical Direction Campus Bio-Medico, University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Academic Urology Unit, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK., Health Direction, Campus Bio-Medico, University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Unit of Clinical Laboratory Science, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy., Department of Urology, Campus Bio-medico, University of Rome, Rome, Italy - .