key: cord-0742143-3ro3evcc
authors: Cho, Dae-Chul
title: In the Era of COVID-19: The Role of Spine Surgeons at the Epicenter of the Outbreak
date: 2020-05-18
journal: Neurospine
DOI: 10.14245/ns.2040244.122
sha: 3587290fab9bc00a82f86ef1d7b2ec14e3ac3e97
doc_id: 742143
cord_uid: 3ro3evcc

nan

scribed by the telemedicine.

In case of emergent operations with uninfected patients, spine surgeons should pay special attention to safety to ensure that patients are not infected with the COVID-19 during the stay of the operating room (OR), intensive care unit, and general wards. After operations, inpatient hospital stays must be minimized. When patients are suspected to COVID-19 infection, it is necessary to check whether surgery can be postponed, and if surgery is unavoidable, a confirmatory diagnostic test should be performed to determine whether an infection is present or not.

When operating on COVID-19 infected patients, all efforts are made to minimize exposure to the patient by maintaining as much of a distance as possible, as well as by minimizing medical staff in the OR during the surgery to increase the safety of the operation. Precautionary measures are essentials for minimizing exposure when patients are transferred to and from the OR; such as controlling the setting of the area, designating a patients-only elevator, and negative carrier isolator when possible. During surgery, special attention is necessary to protect the medical staff from the COVID-19 infection using the appropriate PPE.

Under usual circumstances, before the era of COVID-19 pandemic, there are sufficient medical resources for spine surgeons to perform surgeries without special considerations. However, during this crisis, spine surgeons must pay attention not only to our traditional mission in the field of spine surgery, but also to new additional objectives as part of our dedicated efforts to fight against virus.

Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic affecting countries all over the world.

It is very difficult to predict how long this situation is continued and the degree to which it will be controlled in the near future. The outcomes will depend on the medical and public health defense system, as well as the combined efforts of medical staff and members of the general public from countries across the globe.

I believe that spine surgeons, as front-line soldiers in the battlefield against the virus, can play an important role in winning this war.

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine; c2020

Coronavirus Disease-19, Republic of Korea

Ministry of Health and Welfare, Central Disaster Management Headquarters

COVID-19: what has been learned and to be learned about the novel coronavirus disease

Title: The Dream Artist: Pablo Picasso Year: 1932

It belongs to Picasso's period of distorted depictions, with its oversimplified outlines and contrasted colors resembling early Fauvism. The erotic content of the painting has been noted repeatedly, with critics pointing out that Picasso painted an erect penis, presumably symbolizing his own, in the upturned face of his model