Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has confronted the U.S. health care system with unprecedented challenges amidst a tenuous economic environment. As inpatient hospitals across the country prepare for an overwhelming influx of highly contagious COVID-19 cases, many nonemergent procedures have been cancelled or indefinitely postponed without guidance regarding eventual safe accommodation of these procedures in the future. Given the potentially prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care use, it is imperative for plastic surgeons to collaborate with other medical and surgical specialties to develop surge capacity protocols that allow continuation of safe, high-quality, nonemergent procedures. The purpose of this article is to provide necessary and timely public health information relevant to plastic surgery and also share a conceptual framework to guide surge capacity protocols for nonemergent surgery.
MeSH terms
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Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / standards
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Betacoronavirus / isolation & purification
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Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity*
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COVID-19
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Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
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Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control*
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Coronavirus Infections / therapy
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Coronavirus Infections / transmission
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Elective Surgical Procedures / standards
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Humans
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Infection Control / standards
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Intersectoral Collaboration
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Pandemics / prevention & control*
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Plastic Surgery Procedures / standards
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Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
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Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control*
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Pneumonia, Viral / therapy
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Pneumonia, Viral / transmission
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Practice Guidelines as Topic
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Regional Health Planning / organization & administration*
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Regional Health Planning / standards
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SARS-CoV-2
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Surge Capacity / organization & administration*
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Surgery, Plastic / organization & administration*
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Surgery, Plastic / standards
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Surgicenters / organization & administration
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Surgicenters / standards
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Telemedicine / organization & administration
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Telemedicine / standards
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United States