Laparoscopy at all costs? Not now during COVID-19 outbreak and not for acute care surgery and emergency colorectal surgery: A practical algorithm from a hub tertiary teaching hospital in Northern Lombardy, Italy

Covid-19 and the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a practical decalogue for the post-pandemic phase

“…While some authors have suggested that it is potentially safer to perform a closed procedure than to have an open abdomen with fluids and smoke able to spread widely, others have stated that it is safer to avoid laparoscopy because of the risk of viral spread in the pneumoperitoneum. 57 We believe that if the surgeon cannot access the recommended precautionary tools, such as airtight ports and filters, it may be safer to offer laparotomy using full PPE. However, even during laparotomy, great care must be taken to ensure complete immediate evacuation of all diathermy/electrocautery smoke plumes.…”

Major cancer surgery during the coronavirus pandemic: experience from a tertiary referral center and COVID-19 hub in Northern Italy

“…Several concerns have been raised on the use of laparoscopy during the COVID‐19 pandemic 3 . The risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission during laparoscopy has not been scientifically demonstrated 4,5 , while an increase in open procedures will have a detrimental effect on short‐term outcomes.…”

European Hernia Society (EHS) guidance for the management of adult patients with a hernia during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…While laparoscopic surgery was highly feared at the beginning of the pandemic [7,8], the evidence to date does not suggest an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission during laparoscopic surgery when compared to open surgery. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by aerosol droplets released by breathing, coughing, and sneezing.…”