TITLE:
Instituting Pandemic Plans in a Singapore Anaesthesia Unit: The Challenges and Learning Points
AUTHORS:
Lydia Weiling Li, Prit Anand Singh, Chou Liang Mah, Ong Lay Teng, Qian Jun Tong, Xiang Long Louis Ng
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Anaesthesia, Operation Theatre, Preparedness, SARS-CoV-2, Pandemic, PPE, Manpower
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Anesthesiology,
Vol.10 No.7,
July
24,
2020
ABSTRACT: The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Its rapid spread has put a strain on healthcare systems globally. Singapore ranked the highest in terms of reported cases outside of China in the first few weeks of this outbreak. The management of a patient with COVID-19 in the Operating Theatre (OT) presents a unique set of challenges to the Anaesthetist. Delivery of timely and quality care must be upheld while reducing the risk of transmission to healthcare staff and other patients. This article describes our Anaesthesia Unit’s experiences and challenges in instituting our pandemic plans. The authors hope that the sharing of our experience and practical approach would be useful to other Anaesthesia Units worldwide.