Reply to: Society of Onco-Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care advisory on anaesthesia in COVID-19: What is lacking?

Abstract

Sir, We thank readers[1] for their interest in the Society of Onco-Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care (SOAPC) advisory during COVID-19.[2] We agree that surgical safety checklist is mandatory before any surgery irrespective of the current scenario, so COVID-19 surgical patient checklist by the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists should be used mandatorily in all patients.[3] The safety checklist is relevant to all surgeries and not only to onco-surgeries and it is imperative to follow them without fail. SOAPC advisory needs to be read in conjunction with the other general perioperative advisory released by the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists.[2] This shall also include appropriate use of personal protective equipment and other preventive measures. The evidence is evolving and so is the advisory by various professional bodies including Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).[45] It is prudent to follow this evolving evidence and thus appropriate use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQs) prophylaxis is desirable. The ICMR advisory for prophylactic HCQs has also evolved based on evidence mandating them to revise the advisory subsequently. We appreciate the concern raised and thus readers are advised to keep abreast with latest emerging evidence and to follow them as appropriate. SOAPC also emphasises the need for updating of the advisory as and when new evidence provides contrary suggestion to the previously published statement. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.