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?:abstract
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Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the provision of surgery across the NHS. Despite the challenges, the uro-oncology surgical provision at our centre in the northwest of England, a COVID-19 hotspot, has continued throughout. Patients and methods: We report a 26-patient case series performed following national lockdown. Patients were initially screened for COVID-19 symptoms and later all patients required a negative swab pre-operatively. Personal protective equipment using aerosol precautions was used for all cases. A post-operative ‘cold’ COVID-19 critical-care ward was created. Patients who developed possible symptoms of COVID-19 were isolated and swabbed. A telephone questionnaire was completed two weeks following discharge. Results: Three out of 26 patients developed post-operative pyrexia, but all tested negative for COVID-19. Non-COVID-19-related complication rates were consistent with our previous results. Telephone follow-up confirmed that none had experienced symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 infection. Overall, patient satisfaction with hospital COVID-19 precautions was high. All patients were satisfied with their decision to undergo surgery during the pandemic. Conclusions: Our results indicate that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with appropriate precautions, a safe surgical service can be continued. Level of evidence_ Level 3
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