Authors:	Sparwasser, Peter Brandt, Maximillian P. Haack, Maximillian Dotzauer, Robert Boehm, Katharina Gheith, Mohammed Kamal Mager, Rene Jäger, Wolfgang Ziebart, Alexander Höfner, Thomas Tsaur, Igor Haferkamp, Axel Borgmann, Hendrik
Title:	Robotic surgery can be safely performed for patients and healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic
Online publication date:	12-Sep-2022
Year of first publication:	2021
Language:	english
Abstract:	Objectives To investigate the safety of robotic surgery during COVID-19 pandemic concerning new-acquired COVID-19 infections for patients and healthcare workers. Patients We performed a retrospective single-centre cohort study of patients undergoing robotic surgery in initial period of COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and healthcare workers COVID-19 infection status was assessed by structured telephone follow-up and/or repeated nasopharyngeal swabs. Results After 61 robotic surgeries (93,5% cancer surgery), one patient (1.6%) had COVID-19 infection. Sixty healthcare workers cumulatively exposed to 1187 h of robotic surgery had no infection. One patient with postoperative proof of SARS-CoV-2 had complete recovery. After this potentially contagious robotic surgery, eight healthcare workers had no COVID-19 infection after follow-up with each three nasopharyngeal swabs. Conclusions Early clinical experience of robotic surgery during COVID-19 pandemic shows that robotic surgery can be safely performed for patients and healthcare workers. Despite our results we recommend elective surgery only for verified COVID-19 negative patients.
DDC:	610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences
Institution:	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department:	FB 04 Medizin
Place:	Mainz
ROR:	https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI:	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-7711
Version:	Published version
Publication type:	Zeitschriftenaufsatz
License:	CC BY-NC-ND
Information on rights of use:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Journal:	The international journal of medical robotics and computer assisted surgery 17 4
Pages or article number:	e2291
Publisher:	Wiley
Issue date:	2021
ISSN:	1478-596X
Publisher DOI:	10.1002/rcs.2291
Appears in collections:	JGU-Publikationen