COVID-19 guidance for anaesthesia and perioperative care providers
On the 11 March 2020 WHO characterised the spread of coronavirus as a pandemic.
The spread of the virus can be monitored through various websites including the COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE
This novel coronavirus route of transmission and clinical presentation is similar to SARS, with flu-like symptoms (typically involving fever, cough, shortness of breath) and acute respiratory failure (commonly bilateral pneumonia, acute respiratory distress). However, patients may present with atypical symptoms.
While COVID-19 has been suggested to have a lower case fatality rate (2.5%) than SARS (9.6%), MERS (34.4%), or H1N1 (17.4%), the extent of spread means that the death toll is significant. Frontline healthcare workers are at high risk of becoming infected, and are also at risk of spreading infection.
Anaesthesiologists and other perioperative care providers are particularly at risk when providing respiratory care and tracheal intubation of patients with COVID-19. WFSA would like to draw anesthesia team attention to the importance of appropriate precautions when providing respiratory care and intubation for these patients.
Guidance on anaesthesia and COVID-19
- Care for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 and associated anaesthesia related resources
- APSF – Perioperative Considerations for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- ASA – Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
- SASA – South African Society of Anaesthesiologists COVID-19 resource page
- Anesthesia & Analgesia – COVID-19 collection
- APSF,ASA,AAAA & AANA – The Use of Personal Protective Equipment by Anesthesia Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- UCSF – Open Critical Care COVID-19 Guidelines Dashboard
- WFSA – ATOTW 421: Perioperative management of suspected/ confirmed cases of COVID-19
- Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d’anesthésie – COVID-19 topical collection
- ISA – Second wave of COVID‑19 pandemic and the surge of mucormycosis: Lessons learnt and future preparedness
Guidance on Airway Management
- SIAARTI – Covid 19 – Airway Management
- Prince of Wales, Hong Kong – Covid- 19 Principles of airway management (Available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German)
- UCSF – Ventilator management pocket reference
- UCSF – Oxygen Supply and Consumption Calculator
Guidance on Obstetric Anaesthesia
- Society for Obstetrics Anesthesia & Perinatology (SOAP) – Interim considerations for obstetric Anaesthesia Care related to COVID-19
- Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection in Pregnancy: Information for healthcare professionals
- RCoA, The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, the Intensive Care Society and the Association of Anaesthetists. – Obstetric anaesthesia guidance
Guidance for Low Resource Settings
- Vital Anaesthesia Simulation Training (VAST) – COVID-19 Simulation Resources
- Annals of Surgery (via external resource).
- University of Tasmania – COVID-19 SARI & Pneumonia Oxygen Therapy with Limited Resources
- African Federation of Emergency Services – Emergency Care of COVID-19 in Adults in Low Resource Settings
- N95DECON – A scientific consortium for data-driven study of N95 filtering facepiece respirator decontamination
- The Lancet: Respiratory Medicine – Intensive care management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): challenges and recommendations
Ressources en français
- The SFAR (Société Française d’Anesthésie Réanimation (SFAR) – Informations générales sur COVID-19
- Société de Réanimation de Langue Française (SRLF) Lignes directrices et informations
- Gouvernement français – Informations Générales
- CARO – Prise en charge AR pa.ente COVID + ou suspecte en maternité
Recursos en español
- Ministerio de Salud Español – Documentos técnicos para profesionales
- Asociación de anestesiólogos – Información esencial
- Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Anestesiología – Check list de seguridad para el manejo perioperatorio covid positivo
- FUS & UIS – Aproximacion practica via aerea en pacientes pandemia COVID19
- UCSF – Referencia de Bolsillo para Atención Respiratoria
Recursos em Português
Coronavirus – General Information
- WHO – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak
- WHO – Emerging respiratory viruses, including nCov: methods for detection, prevention, response and control
- WHO – Online training as a weapon to fight the new coronavirus
- CDC – Information for Healthcare Professionals
- MSF – MSF update on novel coronavirus outbreak
- WHO – Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Coronavirus – Wellbeing
- Association of Anaesthetists (UK) – COVID-19 the second surge – Wellbeing resources