Purpose of review This article will review current guidelines regarding surgical protocols for elective and nonelective surgeries during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic. Recent findings Perioperative management for surgical patients should be modified to promote the safety and wellbeing of patients and caregivers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 testing should be performed preoperatively with subsequent preprocedure quarantine. Nonemergent or nonlife-threatening surgery should be postponed for COVID-19 positive patients. The consensus of surgical societies is to use a laparoscopic surgical approach for COVID-19 positive patients when appropriate and to avoid port venting at the end of procedures. For COVID-19 positive patients requiring an emergent procedure, the use of personal protective equipment is strongly recommended. Summary After over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, effective protocols and precautions have been established to decrease the morbidity and mortality of patients undergoing surgery and to promote the safety of healthcare personnel. Continued investigations are necessary as cases of new, possibly more virulent, strains of the virus arise.

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INTRODUCTION: Blood loss and subsequent blood transfusion is a common complication in benign gynecologic surgery that has been understudied. The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors associated with peri-operative blood transfusion and highlight those that are modifiable for abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy. METHODS: Using a retrospective study design between 1/1/2008 and 4/30/2014, 562 of 667 hysterectomies were included. Hysterectomies performed peripartum or for cancer were excluded. Risk factors examined include race, pre-operative hemoglobin, body mass index (BMI), surgical route, and uterine size. Comparisons between subgroups were performed using Chi-square or Wilcoxon test. Blood transfusion rate, odds ratio (OR) of transfusion and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were reported. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors for peri-operative blood transfusion. RESULTS: The overall transfusion rate was 13.3% (75/562) and differed for abdominal versus vaginal hysterectomy (18.0% vs. 6.8% P < .001). Pre-operative hemoglobin less than 10.6 g/dL versus greater than or equal to 13.1 g/dL had five times the odds of transfusion (95% CI 2.4-13.5). Uterus size greater than 470 gm versus less than or equal to 108 gm had fourfold odds of transfusion (95% CI 1.5-14.3). African Americans had twice the odds of transfusion (95% CI 1.2-4.5), despite controlling for increased uterus size and lower hemoglobin. There was no statistically significant association between BMI and transfusion. CONCLUSION: This study identified lower pre-operative hemoglobin, larger uterus size, and African American race as three important risk factors. Prior to hysterectomy, hemoglobin should be optimized above 13.1 g/dL, especially for patients with large uteri and African Americans.

Objective: To establish descriptive observations associated with prolonged hospitalization after laparoscopic hysterectomy prior to the implementation of a department-wide Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol. Methods: A retrospective cohort study at three academic affiliated hospitals in the southeastern United States was conducted evaluating length of hospitalization by patient, surgical, and physician factors for 384 patients who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy, laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy, and robotic assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign conditions by general and subspecialized gynecologists from 2010 to 2015. Results: Among 384 patients, 19.5% experienced prolonged hospitalization, defined as greater than one day. After adjusting for covariates, robotic assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy (aOR 3.13), dietary restrictions on postoperative day 1 (aOR 4.42), postoperative nausea or vomiting (aOR 2.01), and postoperative complications (aOR 3.58) were associated with prolonged hospitalization. Conclusion: Data from this study were collected prior to implementation of department-wide enhanced recovery after surgery protocols and highlights areas for improvement. Implementation of specific aspects of these protocols, including aggressive prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting and early feeding, are easily made changes which may help to effectively decrease length of stay after laparoscopic hysterectomy. Patient and provider education on enhanced recovery protocols is also key to reducing length of stay.