The Safe Resumption of Elective Plastic Surgery in Accredited Ambulatory Surgery Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Brown, Mitchell; Eardley, Stephanie; Ahmad, Jamil; Lista, Frank; Barr, Scott; Mulholland, Stephen; Khanna, Julie; Knapp, Charles; Saheb-Al-Zamani, Maryam; Austin, Ryan; Levine, Ronald

BACKGROUND: On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic resulting in an unprecedented shift in the Canadian health care system, where protection of an already overloaded health care system became a priority; all elective surgeries and non-essential activities were ceased. With the impact being less than predicted, on May 26, 2020, elective surgeries and non-essential activities were permitted to resume. OBJECTIVES: To examine outcomes following elective aesthetic surgery and the impact on the Canadian health care system with the resumption of these services during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. METHODS: Data was collected in a prospective manner on consecutive patients undergoing elective plastic surgery procedures in six accredited ambulatory surgery facilities. Data included patient demographics, procedural characteristics, COVID-19 PCR test status, airway management and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: 368 patients underwent elective surgical procedures requiring a general anesthetic. All 368 patients that underwent surgery were negative on pre visit screening. A COVID-19 PCR test was completed by 352 patients (95.7%) and all were negative. In the postoperative period, seven patients (1.9%) had complications, three patients (0.8%) required a hospital visit, and one patient (0.3%) required hospital admission. No patients or health care providers developed COVID-19 symptoms or had a positive test for COVID-19 within 30 days of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: With appropriate screening and safety precautions, elective aesthetic plastic surgery can be performed in a manner that is safe for patients and health care providers and with a very low risk for accelerating virus transmission within the community.