Cirugía colorrectal en tiempos de COVID-19

Abstract

An attempt was made to write a guide for the safe practice of the specialty in times of COVID-19. A search of recent publication available in Pub-Med and other platforms was performed. Experts’ opinions and experiences were taken into account from various conferences or communications of scientific societies. This pandemic has forced us to learn the management of a new disease in a sudden way. Surgical specialists began to learn clinical and virologic terminology, among other new concepts previously ignored by most of us. We were forced to adapt our usual practice to new standards, making different mistakes in the initial handling, caused by the lack of prior information.
The present guide tries to cover the topics considered most relevant at this time, such as outpatients´ management, recommendations of which patients we should operate on and which procedures should be postponed. Recommendations for alternative treatments to surgery while the pandemic lasts. Diagnostic methods used to assess infection in patients who will undergo surgery, etc.
Links and appendices have been added for those who wish to expand on a particular topic, this prevents the guide from being too extensive and losing the practicality with which it was intended.
We hope this guide will facilitate the understanding of this new disease and its management for any surgeon who needs to assist patients with colorectal pathology. By the time we would have finished these lines there will be new evidence that must be adapted and incorporated into those currently presented.