A primer for pediatric radiologists on infection control in an era of COVID-19

Abstract

Pediatric radiology departments across the globe face unique challenges in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic that have not been addressed in professional guidelines. Providing a safe environment for personnel while continuing to deliver optimal care to patients is feasible when abiding by fundamental recommendations. In this article, we review current infection control practices across the multiple pediatric institutions represented on the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) Quality and Safety committee. We discuss the routes of infectious transmission and appropriate transmission-based precautions, in addition to exploring strategies to optimize personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies. This work serves as a summary of current evidence-based recommendations for infection control, and current best practices specific to pediatric radiologists.

Evaluation of stress and anxiety caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in pediatric radiology

“…Pediatric radiology involves unique instances involving aerosolization, such as air reduction enemas for intussusception, as well as small crying children who are too young to wear a mask to prevent droplet spread. Multiple institutional experiences have been collated to help provide guidance for appropriate PPE use for different scenarios and procedures in pediatric radiology [17]. Moving forward, it is important to continue to ensure the availability of PPE, especially N95 masks or equivalent respirators, to protect radiologists and other staff from contracting the virus or spreading it in high-risk situations.…”

Coronavirus disease 2019 and pediatric anesthesia

“…Initial efforts focused on creating recommendations for safe airway management to reduce risks to the patient and anesthesia teams, however, the efforts soon extended to the perioperative arena and throughout the hospital [3 ▪ ,4]. Pediatric anesthesiologists had to develop coordinated management of COVID-19 patients throughout the hospital for operating room and nonoperating room anesthesia procedures [5,6], incorporate preprocedure COVID-19 testing into practice, manage resources in the operating room, and ensure the safety and well-being of their staff and themselves [7 ▪ ]. This review will focus on recent pediatric anesthesia publications and evidence for delivering safe and effective anesthesia care for children with COVID-19 and will highlight areas that need further attention from the anesthesia community in the near future…”

“…&,4]. Pediatric anesthesiologists had to develop coordinated management of COVID-19 patients throughout the hospital for operating room and nonoperating room anesthesia procedures[5,6], incorporate preprocedure COVID-19 testing into practice, manage resources in the operating room, and ensure the safety and well-being of their staff and themselves[7 & …”