Spine surgeon, COVID-19 survivor urges colleagues to prepare for next wave of the pandemic
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Reducing the surgical waiting list and being as prepared as possible are ways busy spine surgery centers can prepare now for a surge of COVID-19 cases next year, a spine surgeon from Wuhan, China, said.
At the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting, Yongchao Wu, MD, PhD, in the department of orthopedics at Wuhan Union Hospital in Wuhan, China, discussed his personal battle with COVID-19 that began when he was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Jan. 31.
During a plenary session at the meeting, which was held virtually, Wu also provided suggestions for how spine centers worldwide can prepare for possible surges in COVID-19 cases that may occur in the coming months.
An otherwise healthy 49-year-old at the time he was diagnosed with COVID-19, Wu said his symptoms included fever of 99.5°F to 102.2°F, cough and diarrhea. He was among seven surgeons and trainees in the orthopedic department at Wuhan Union Hospital who contracted COVID-19 early during the pandemic for a 5.5% incidence of infection.
The infected individuals in Wu’s department transmitted COVID-19 most often to family members, which Wu said occurred 20% of the time. He noted the general wards at the hospital were the most likely sites where the initial exposures occurred, which was the case about 79% of the time.
When the city was in lockdown, the orthopedic department performed nonoperative care and telemedicine visits, Wu said.
“We found some opportunity in this crisis. For example, the need for minimally invasive spine surgery to increase to shorten surgery time and the hospital stay,” he said. “What should we do to be prepared for the next wave? We should do as much surgery as possible now to reduce the waiting list so we can reduce our workload for the coming winter. We should be prepared with good facility, guideline, training and physical condition for the next wave.”
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Wu Y. International perspective from the frontlines of Wuhan, China. Presented during: COVID-19: A cataclysmic event of global significance at: North American Spine Society Annual Meeting; Oct. 6-9, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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