Description
The session begins with Andrew Porteous inviting participants to engage and sharing insights on how BASK has navigated the clinical prioritization challenges posed by COVID-19. He references updated guidelines released by joint colleges which established benchmarks for categorizing surgical timing. Andrew delves into the specifics of how prioritization was addressed, discussing the feedback received from members regarding proposed time windows for procedures.
He highlights discrepancies in the guidelines, emphasizing the complexities of clinical scenarios and the necessity to refine priorities, particularly for knee surgeries. The discussion expands to include examples of conditions with varying urgency levels, noting how some descriptors could encompass a wide range of clinical situations, necessitating further clarity.
Andrew details the collaborative effort of BASK members to develop a document that augments existing guidelines, introducing more precise definitions for knee surgeries, and calls attention to specific scenarios including primary arthroplasty and revision knee surgeries. He also discusses the importance of risk assessment in determining the timing of surgeries, suggesting starting with less complex cases.
He informs the audience about successful outcomes in Bristol regarding elective surgery resumption and patient selection based on clinical priorities, emphasizing that the local context significantly influenced their approach. Andrew wraps up with a poignant case study about the repercussions of delayed elective procedures during the pandemic, reinforcing the idea that while surgeries can often be postponed, each case carries potential risks if delayed indefinitely.
The session concludes with an acknowledgment of the hard work of BASK committee members and serves as a smooth transition to the next speaker, Professor Dominic Meek, who will discuss early data regarding COVID risks related to elective surgeries.