Alternatives for establishing a surgical airway during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Currently doctors and health professionals are facing a challenging pandemic caused by a new strain called 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Human infection with COVID-19 does not yet have the clinical spectrum fully described, and the pattern of lethality, mortality, infectivity and transmissibility is not known with precision. There is no specific vaccine or medication available. Treatment is supportive and nonspecific. In Brazil, as in the rest of the world, the number of COVID-19 cases has grown alarmingly, leading to an increase in the number of hospitalizations as well as in mortality from the disease. Currently, the states with the highest number of cases are, respectively, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Distrito Federal and Ceará. The objective of this work is to offer alternatives in order to guide surgeons regarding the surgical management of the airways in patients with suspicion and / or confirmation for COVID-19 infection.摘要 目前，医生与医疗工作者正面临一场由2019新型冠状病毒（2019 Novel Coronavirus，COVID-19）引发的极具挑战性的大流行疫情。当前，人类感染COVID-19的临床谱尚未完全阐明，其致死性、病死率、感染性与传播性模式仍未被精准掌握。目前尚无特异性疫苗或治疗药物，临床仅能采取支持性、非特异性治疗手段。与全球其他地区一致，巴西的COVID-19确诊病例数正以令人担忧的速度增长，导致该病的住院人次与病死率均显著上升。目前，确诊病例数最多的州依次为圣保罗州、里约热内卢州、联邦特区与塞阿拉州。本研究旨在为外科医师提供参考方案，以指导其针对疑似或确诊感染COVID-19的患者开展气道外科管理。