Protecting healthcare workers
The health crisis has made visible the need to duly appreciate the people who work caring for patients and to enable them to carry out their work in complete safety, an aspect that has become glaringly evident in recent months. Spain has achieved the dubious honor of being one of the foremost countries in the world in terms of the number of health professionals infected, with a total of 52,575 by June 25, and a total of 63 deceased by June 5 (official information from the Ministry of Health). At that time, Spain accumulated a total of 250,545 cases of coronavirus confirmed by PCR, which means that 21 % of the infections corresponds to health personnel (hospitals, health centers and socio-sanitary centers - nursing homes, groups in dependency situations).
In preparation for the more than foreseeable new outbreaks in the coming months, we already have specific regulations and self-protection guidelines for ECMO implantation procedures, emergency cardiac surgery, and airway manipulation, thanks to the guidelines published by both professional (SECCE)1 and government organizations (Ministry of Health)8. When operating with positive COVID-19 patients or patients with unknown infectious status, it is mandatory to use the highest level of personal protection equipment (PPE) available and to follow the standardized procedures (equipping and removing PPE in a sterile environment) developed locally in each center, within the training and education programs for the protection of health workers.