Preventing exposure to COVID-19 in the operation theatre and intensive care unit

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the world since January 2020 and has changed our lives in unprecedented ways. It has changed the way we work in the Operation Theatres and Intensive Care Units mainly because of the high risk of disease transmission to the healthcare workers. In order to reduce the risk of disease transmission, an understanding of the means of transmission of the virus is essential to develop a rational strategy that allows patients to receive treatment without placing either the patient or healthcare workers at risk. It should be cautioned that this is a rapidly changing field and there is a paucity of randomised controlled trials related to various aspects of the disease. It is therefore advisable to revise any recommendations in this article, as and when new evidence emerges.