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. 2020 Aug;46(4):731-735.
doi: 10.1007/s00068-020-01413-1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Enhancing safety of laparoscopic surgery in COVID-19 era: clinical experience with low-cost filtration devices

Mauro Zago  1 , Selman Uranues  2 , Marco Enoc Chiarelli  3 , Samuele Grandi  3 , Luca Andrea Fumagalli  3 , Mario Tavola  4 , Massimo Chiarugi  5 , Diego Mariani  6 , Valerie Wienerroither  7 , Hayato Kurihara  8 , Abe Fingerhut  2   9
Affiliations

Enhancing safety of laparoscopic surgery in COVID-19 era: clinical experience with low-cost filtration devices

Mauro Zago et al. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Surgery in the era of the current COVID-19 pandemic has been curtailed and restricted to emergency and certain oncological indications, and requires special attention concerning the safety of patients and health care personnel. Desufflation during or after laparoscopic surgery has been reported to entail a potential risk of contamination from 2019-nCoV through the aerosol generated during dissection and/or use of energy-driven devices. In order to protect the operating room staff, it is vital to filter the released aerosol.

Methods: The assemblage of two easily available and low-cost filter systems to prevent potential dissemination of Coronavirus via the aerosol is described.

Results: Forty-nine patients underwent laparoscopic surgeries with the use of one of the two described tools, both of which proved to be effective in smoke evacuation, without affecting laparoscopic visualization.

Conclusion: The proposed systems are cost-effective, easily assembled and reproducible, and provide complete viral filtration during intra- and postoperative release of CO2.

Keywords: Coronavirus; Emergency surgery; Laparoscopy; Oncologic surgery; Pneumoperitoneum; Prevention.

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Conflict of interest statement

All the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Material required for the filtering system I; b system I assembled; c system I in clinical use
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a Material required for the filtering system II; b system II assembled; c system II in clinical use
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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