[How to organize a Fetal Medicine Unit in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Safe measures for obstetric scans and equipment cleaning].

Clin Invest Ginecol Obstet

Sección de Ecografía y Medicina Fetal, Servicio de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, España.

Published: July 2020

During a pandemic, the three basic principles are. to prioritize medical resources, ensure patients' lockdown in order to avoid community transmission and prevent healthcare collapse, and keep the number of visits to an absolute minimum to avoid patient exposure and safeguard healthcare workers. Antenatal care must be maintained during a health crisis, regardless of the COVID-19 state of alert. Routine and specialist obstetric ultrasound scans are essential for clinical decision-making during pregnancy, as it has a direct impact on the management of mothers and fetuses and on the perinatal outcome. In an attempt to minimize in-person visits, these will be organized according to the established ultrasound schedule. Based on scientific evidence, and on existing main national and international guidelines, this document has been prepared, in which proposals and options are provided for managing pregnant women in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It includes how a Fetal Medicine Unit facing this health crisis should be restructured, what safety measures should be followed in the performance of obstetric scans and invasive procedures, and how ultrasound rooms, equipment and transducers should be cleaned and disinfected. These recommendations should be adapted to different units based on their resources and infrastructure.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7328539PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gine.2020.06.013DOI Listing

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