AHA, others release additional guidance for resuming elective surgeries

The AHA, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, and AdvaMed today released clinically based guidance to support the safe reentry of medical device representatives into hospitals and other surgical facilities as they resume elective surgeries paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Building on an April 17 roadmap for safely resuming elective surgery released by the AHA, AORN, American College of Surgeons and American Society of Anesthesiologists, the guidance recommends hospitals provide personal protective equipment to medical device representatives essential to an invasive procedure and that representatives not provide their own PPE unless a facility has a shortage.

The guidance also does not recommend diagnostic testing for asymptomatic company representatives to prioritize COVID-19 diagnostic testing for patients, symptomatic health care workers, and those with known or suspected exposures.

“Many patients have waited and postponed elective and non-emergent care, understanding what our priorities had to be, but hospitals and health systems realize non-COVID-19 health issues also need to be addressed in a timely fashion,” said Michelle Hood, AHA executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“It is important to recognize that so-called elective care or scheduled care often involves providing treatments and procedures that are critical to caring for those with chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, and delays in care can result in worsening conditions for these vulnerable patients.”