Resource: The Safe Resumption of Elective Plastic Surgery in Accredited Ambulatory Surgery Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Source: Aesthetic Surgery Journal
Synopsis: This is a prospective study of 368 patients who underwent elective aesthetic surgery at 6 Ambulatory Surgery Facilities in Ontario, Canada, between June 1 and July 17, 2020. Five of 6 centers were in the Metro Toronto area. All patients were screened for COVID-19 symptoms by questionnaire, and 95% of them had preoperative COVID-19 PCR testing 3-4 days prior to surgery. The patients were asked to isolate themselves between testing and surgery. None of the preoperative COVID-19 tests were positive. No patients self-reported development of COVID-19 or COVID-like symptoms in the 30 days following surgery, and there were no cases of transmission of COVID-19 to healthcare workers involved in the procedures. The authors conclude that elective aesthetic plastic surgery can be safely performed for both patients and healthcare providers, given appropriate pre-operative symptom screening and universal pre-op COVID-19 testing.
Comment: This adds another article from Canada about the safety of plastic surgery during the pandemic to the published articles from the experience in Texas.
