Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2022 May 6;20:eAO6687. doi: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2022AO6687. eCollection 2022.
To evaluate the standards of practice of Brazilian cataract surgeons in relation to the protective measures adopted to mitigate the risks of transmission of COVID-19 during cataract surgery, in asymptomatic patients.
A descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative paradigm study, developed from a self-administered electronic questionnaire sent to ophthalmologists and residents/specialists in ophthalmology in Brazil, who performed cataract surgeries in 2019 and 2020, connected through social media and mail listing from local societies.
Of the 303 participating surgeons, 159 (n=52.2%) performed elective cataract surgeries between March 20th, 2020 to June 1st, 2020. Among the measures adopted by ophthalmologists with the purpose of preventing viral transmission, the patient's temperature was measured by 84.3% (n=134), and the verification of respiratory symptoms and contact/exposure to cases of COVID-19 by 87.4% (n=139). Most did not submit their patients to laboratory tests to detect COVID-19 (145; 91.2%). In surgery, 44.7% (n=71) used an N95 mask, and 69.2% (n=110) kept their patients with a mask. No stage of phacoemulsification was modified in 144 (90.6%) participants, 13 (8.2%) added methylcellulose under the main incision, and two (1.3%), modified another surgical stage.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly interrupted part of cataract surgeries in Brazil from March to June 2020 and measures to prevent viral spread are being heterogeneously adopted by surgeons. Understanding these measures could be the first step to improve strategies to return to pre-pandemic levels.
评估巴西白内障手术医生在为减轻 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）无症状患者白内障手术传播风险而采取的保护措施方面的实践标准。
这是一项描述性、横断面、定量的研究，基于对巴西眼科医生和住院医师/眼科专家的电子问卷调查，这些医生在 2019 年和 2020 年进行了白内障手术，并通过社交媒体和当地协会的邮件列表与他们取得联系。
在参与研究的 303 名外科医生中，有 159 名（n=52.2%）于 2020 年 3 月 20 日至 6 月 1 日期间进行了择期白内障手术。为了预防病毒传播，眼科医生采取了多种措施，其中 84.3%（n=134）测量了患者的体温，87.4%（n=139）验证了患者的呼吸症状和接触/暴露于 COVID-19 病例的情况。大多数医生没有让患者进行实验室检测以检测 COVID-19（145；91.2%）。在手术过程中，44.7%（n=71）使用 N95 口罩，69.2%（n=110）让患者佩戴口罩。在 144 名（90.6%）参与者中，没有修改任何阶段的超声乳化术，13 名（8.2%）在主切口下添加了甲基纤维素，两名（1.3%）修改了另一个手术阶段。
2020 年 3 月至 6 月，COVID-19 大流行显著中断了巴西部分白内障手术，外科医生正在采用不同的措施来预防病毒传播。了解这些措施可能是改善恢复到大流行前水平的策略的第一步。
