Sense and sensibility through confusing surgical practices during COVID‐19 pandemic

摘要

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges. For surgeons, the reality is that many of us will have little to do with COVID‐19. COVID‐19 is largely a medical disease where patient treatment is led predominantly by physicians. Whilst the secondary impact on surgery and surgical training has been profound, most surgeons will have little role in the direct treatment of COVID‐19 patients. Nonetheless, how we practice surgery has also been called to question, including the safety of minimally invasive surgery, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) use and the push for non‐surgical or outpatient‐based management of simple surgical emergencies such as acute appendicitis, abscesses or diverticulitis.