Background

During the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic, operating rooms across the country closed for elective cases. This hindered patients with obesity undergoing weight loss surgeries, which would reduce their high risk of mortality to Coronavirus infections. Our institution developed a strategy to continue elective bariatric surgery without hindering the safety of patients and medical staff.

Methods

The hospital developed an approach to maintaining elective bariatric surgery during the pandemic. This included 1) admitting Covid-19 patients to a separate facility not at the main surgical facility, 2) maintaining adequate PPE supplies which included manufacturing PPEs to do so, and 3) implementing a COVID-19 PCR nasal swabs 5 days before scheduled operation. On the day of surgery patients were screened using the CDC screening protocols.

Results

The year before the COVID-19 Pandemic, bariatric surgery cases totaled 407. The year of the pandemic (2020) the bariatric cases totaled 304. One month, April 2020, there were only 2 cases while the three prong approach was implemented. Thereafter the bariatric case numbers increased through the year and the projected one year cases volume was 400 cases.

Conclusions

Conclusions: Our institution implemented an aggressive and proactive approach to continue elective bariatric surgery understanding the importance of the associated risk reduction to COVID-19 for the morbidly obese population. This approach resulted in our bariatric program only experiencing a minor decrease in bariatric surgical cases during the pandemic.