Abstract
Within Neurotology, special draping systems have been devised for mastoid surgery recognizing that drilling of middle ear mucosa is an aerosol generating medical procedure (AGMP) which can place surgical teams at risk of COVID-19 infection. We provide a thorough description of a barrier system utilized in our practice, along with work completed by our group to better quantify its effectiveness. Utilization of a barrier system can provide near complete bone dust and droplet containment within the surgical field and prevent contamination of other healthcare workers. As this is an early system, further adaptations and national collaborations are required to ultimately arrive at a system that seamlessly integrates into the surgical suite. While these barrier systems are new, they are timely as we face a pandemic, and can play a crucial role in safely resuming surgery.
Highlights
A major challenge in the provision of care during the COVID-19 pandemic is to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) while working to curb the spread of this novel coronavirus
As hospitals prepare to resume surgical activities, the concern for false negative screening tests combined with shortages of N95 masks have highlighted the need for additional safeguards when performing potentially aerosol generating medical procedures (AGMPs) [1]
Use of an operative barrier system for AGMPs Simple barrier draping systems have been described with some published experiences
Summary
A major challenge in the provision of care during the COVID-19 pandemic is to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) while working to curb the spread of this novel coronavirus. As hospitals prepare to resume surgical activities, the concern for false negative screening tests combined with shortages of N95 masks have highlighted the need for additional safeguards when performing potentially aerosol generating medical procedures (AGMPs) [1]. Use of an operative barrier system for AGMPs Simple barrier draping systems have been described with some published experiences. We sought to improve upon prior designs by utilizing readily available operative equipment to suspend a barrier drape over the surgical field, to promote superior surgical ergonomics and droplet containment, while preserving operative visibility (Additional file 1).
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