AEG-SEED position paper for the resumption of endoscopic activity after the peak phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Coronavirus Disease Transmission Prevented in an Endoscopy Unit with Universal Protective Measures and No Systematic Preprocedural Testing

“…Due to restrictions imposed during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, activity in endoscopy units was nearly completely stopped in April-May 2020 in Spain to reduce the risk of contracting the infection and help decrease its spread. Procedures were prioritized based on the scientific society’s guidelines, and in some cases, only emergent/urgent procedures were performed [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. In reopening endoscopy units, some scientific societies recommended universal, preprocedural testing for all patients scheduled for endoscopic procedures because a large proportion of coronavirus infections is transmitted by asymptomatic individuals, particularly in high-prevalence areas [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…In reopening endoscopy units, some scientific societies recommended universal, preprocedural testing for all patients scheduled for endoscopic procedures because a large proportion of coronavirus infections is transmitted by asymptomatic individuals, particularly in high-prevalence areas [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. However, other societies recommended against universal preprocedural testing; they considered the maintenance of strict infection control strategies sufficient and recommended the use of individual protective equipment for all personnel involved in the procedure [ 2 , 8 ]. The pandemic is still continuing around the world; in fact, there was a recent increase of the incidence in the last months, even in countries with high vaccination rates.…”

Evaluation of endoscopy requests in the resumption of activity during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: denial of nonindicated requests and prioritization of accepted requests

“…Scientific societies (3)(4)(5) encouraged endoscopy units to establish prioritization systems for postponed endoscopies and to design protocols to restart endoscopic activity where possible. The protocols should include schedules with fewer procedures to comply with the strict protection measures to prevent the spread of the virus.…”

Usefulness of prioritization systems during the resumption of gastrointestinal endoscopy activity during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The indications with high priority were scheduled first, and the remaining slots were completed with nonhigh priority examinations. The indications were adapted to the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) (Table 3 s) and the Sociedad Española de Endoscopia Digestiva/AEG (SEED-AEG) (Table 4 s) prioritization criteria [3,4].…”