Outcomes of Early Versus Late Tracheostomy in Patients With COVID-19: A Multinational Cohort Study.

Unlabelled: Timing of tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19 has attracted substantial attention. Initial guidelines recommended delaying or avoiding tracheostomy due to the potential for particle aerosolization and theoretical risk to providers. However, early tracheostomy could improve patient outcomes and alleviate resource shortages.

Tracheostomies of Patients With COVID-19: A Survey of Infection Reported by Health Care Professionals.

Background: Health care professionals (HCPs) performing tracheostomies in patients with COVID-19 may be at increased risk of infection.

Objective: To evaluate factors underlying HCPs' COVID-19 infection and determine whether tracheostomy providers report increased rates of infection.

Methods: An anonymous international survey examining factors associated with COVID-19 infection was made available November 2020 through July 2021 to HCPs at a convenience sample of hospitals, universities, and professional organizations.

Perioperative provider safety in the pandemic: Development, implementation and evaluation of an adjunct COVID-19 Surgical Patient Checklist.

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained surgical systems worldwide and placed healthcare providers at risk in their workplace. To protect surgical care providers caring for patients with COVID-19, in May 2020 we developed a COVID-19 Surgical Patient Checklist (C19 SPC), including online training materials, to accompany the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist. In October 2020, an online survey was conducted via partner and social media networks to understand perioperative clinicians' intraoperative practice and perceptions of safety while caring for COVID-19 positive patients and gain feedback on the utility of C19 SPC.

Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic using virtual basic laparoscopic training in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia: effects on confidence, knowledge, and skill.

Background: An international surgical team implemented a virtual basic laparoscopic surgery course for Bolivian general and pediatric surgeons and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This simulation course aimed to enhance training in a lower-resource environment despite the challenges of decreased operative volume and lack of in-person instruction.

Methods: The course was developed by surgeons from Bolivian and U.

Clean and Confident: Impact of Sterile Instrument Processing Workshops on Knowledge and Confidence in Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Proper sterilization of surgical instruments is essential for safe surgery, yet re-processing methods in low-resource settings can fall short of standards. Training of Trainers (TOT) workshops in Ethiopia and El Salvador instructed participants in sterile processing concepts and prepared participants to teach others. This study examines participants' knowledge and confidence post-TOT workshop, and moreover discusses subsequent non-TOT workshops and observed sterile processing practices.

The Impact of Obesity on Surgically Treated Locoregional Melanoma.

Background: The impact of obesity on early-stage melanoma is poorly understood. We examined the impact of overweight and obesity on clinical outcomes in locoregional melanoma.

Methods: Adults who underwent surgery at Emory University Healthcare between 2010 and 2017 for clinically stage I-II cutaneous melanoma, with known stage, height, and weight at the time of presentation, were identified.