key: cord-0862453-ncfzz3kh
authors: Drissi, Farouk; Frey, Samuel; Abet, Emeric
title: Re: “Strategy for the practice of digestive and oncologic surgery in COVID-19 epidemic situation”. As regards the detection of coronavirus in peritoneal fluid
date: 2020-10-16
journal: J Visc Surg
DOI: 10.1016/j.jviscsurg.2020.10.008
sha: 9ec9264a690f2f65467b8d835c23fbd800007a12
doc_id: 862453
cord_uid: ncfzz3kh

nan

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been responsible for numerous cases of contamination within medical staff. The most exposed specialties are supposedly those involving close contact with infected patients, and in a majority of cases, transmission has reportedly occurred via the respiratory tract. That said, the presence of the coronavirus in peritoneal fluid, which would induce a risk of contamination in digestive surgery, is currently under debate. Given the risk of contamination by aerosolization, Tuech et al. have recommended that in case of doubt or insufficient experience in laparoscopic surgery, an approach by laparotomy is to be favored [1] . It bears mentioning that application of a laparoscopic technique is premised on the avoidance by all means (suction system, balloon trocar) of pneumoperitoneal leakage in the operating theater. If laparoscopy cannot be performed under optimal safety conditions, postponement of surgery (rather than application of the laparotomic approach) can be considered as an option for pathologies such as uncomplicated acute appendicitis, acute cholecystitis or hernia surgery. 

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