COVID-19 in interventional radiology: management of the angiography room

Abstract

One of the most significant challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has created is the intervetional radiologypractice. In order to guarantee the best patient care and avoid contamination of the operators, it was necessary tocarry out specific management of the complex angiographic rooms.This work aims to guide healthcare professionals in the safe execution of interventional radiology procedures onCOVID-19 patients using suitable management strategies, guidelines and recommendations available, creating anappropriate work environment.Research and revision work, targeted at COVID-19 patients, made use the main scientific literature databases ofguidelines and scientific articles promoted or edited by international scientific societies.After identifying and separating the pathways for infected patients and defining the dressing and undressing areasof the operators, a check-list was created to prepare the angiographic room and the surrounding spaces. The setup includes removal of all non-essential mobile devices for the expected procedure and preparation of the sterileangiographic table with the necessary material and drugs. It is also necessary placement of containers for infectedwaste inside the room; cover of contrast injector, angiographic controls and patient monitoring devices; finallycovering with clean sheets everything that cannot be moved. The standardization of operating procedures, stafftraining and the analysis of critical issues encountered lay the foundations for definition of best practices adaptableto different work environments.