Surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted health-care systems worldwide, mandating novel measures to protect patients and health-care workers. In addition to the stratification of risks in terms of patient, anesthesia, and surgery, surgeons will now have to consider infectious risks associated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in their preoperative assessment. It is imperative that surgeons adapt to this new challenge, which is likely to be a part of the foreseeable future. This review aims to guide the operating surgeon to make informed decisions regarding risks associated with the virus, and how to best prepare for the same. It is a collation of the current knowledge in the field and covers (a) SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and testing; (b) strategies for stratification of surgeries; (c) preoperative testing; (d) preoperative considerations; (e) intraoperative concerns; (f) precautions to be followed in the performance of open as well as laparoscopic surgery; and (e) issues related to resumption of elective surgery.