Same-day bilateral cataract surgery may be best choice during COVID era and beyond
In the new normal of the COVID-19 era, the introduction of routine immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery has the potential to improve efficiency, minimizing nonessential exposure, according to one surgeon.
“Patients are open but need more information and education on the option of ISBCS,” David O’Brart, MD, said at the virtual European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons winter meeting.
Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgical procedure, the demand is constantly growing, and patient expectations are increasingly high. In addition, COVID is causing repeated delays to elective surgery. To address the increasing burden, higher-volume theater models are required, he said.
Previously published time and motion data of 140 unilateral cataract surgeries performed in five hospitals in the U.K. were reanalyzed to design a model in which only ISBCS was conducted.
“What we found was that there was a mean 16% reduction in the time taken to perform two cataract operations. This resulted in a mean 54% improvement in surgical efficiency in respect to the possible total number of cases performed in a 4-hour list. The average number of cases required to do an extra unilateral case turned out to be about four, in the range of three to six,” O’Brart said.
In addition, patients on a waiting list for cataract surgery during the first COVID lockdown were contacted. When asked whether they wished to attend for surgery, 70% said yes and 45% said they were happy to undergo surgery bilaterally on the same day despite the fact that they knew little about ISBCS.
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O’Brart D, et al. Economic modelling of immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery ISBCS in a public health sector model. Presented at: European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons winter meeting; Feb. 19-21, 2021 (virtual meeting).
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