AIIMS | GBPH | PGIMER | CMC | SGPGI | Total | |
Number of procedures performed per day before COVID pandemic | 100–150 | 100–150 | 100–150 | 100–150 | 50–100 | 450–700 |
Percentage procedures performed during the lockdown period | 10%–15% | 10%–15% | 10%–15% | 10%–15% | 10%–15% | 10%–15% |
Total number of procedures performed (April, May) | 290 | 340 | 274 | 545 | 100 | 1549 |
Urgent, N (percentage) | 271 (93.5) | 297 (87.4) | 260 (94.9) | 236 (43.3) | 70 (70) | 1134 (73.2) |
Semiurgent, N (percentage) | 4 (1.4) | 39 (11.5) | 5 (1.8) | 40 (7.4) | 9 (9) | 97 (6.3) |
Elective, N (percentage) | 15 (5.2) | 4 (1.2) | 9 (3.3) | 269(49) | 21 (21) | 318 (20.5) |
Relocated healthcare workers from endoscopy unit | 10%–25% | 10%–25% | 10%–25% | None | 10%–25% | 10%–25% |
Precautions used in endoscopy unit to prevent spread of COVID infection | ||||||
Triage regarding urgency of procedure | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Triage based on suspicion of COVID-19 infection | No | No | No | No | No | 5 No |
Reduced number of procedures | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Reduced manpower in endoscopy unit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Use of PPE by endoscopy personnel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Provision of mask for patients | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Mandatory COVID-19 testing for all patients prior to endoscopy | No | Yes | No | No | No | 1 Yes |
More aggressive disinfection policy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Avoid reuse of endoscopy accessories | No | No | No | Yes | No | 1 Yes |
PPE used while performing endoscopy | ||||||
Surgical mask | No | No | No | No | No | 5 No |
N95 mask | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Gloves, double pair | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 4 Yes |
Hairnet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Goggles or face shield | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Long sleeved water-resistant gown | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Training for donning and doffing PPE | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Yes |
Availability of negative pressure rooms in endoscopy suite | No | No | No | No | No | 5 No |
Any patient COVID+ve within 48–72 hours of procedure | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6* (0.4%) |
Any patient COVID+ve after 72 hours of procedure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Endoscopy personnel COVID+ve | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/74 (4%) |
Institutes: AIIMS, New Delhi; CMC, Vellore; GBPH, New Delhi; PGIMER, Chandigarh; SGPGI, Lucknow, participants of GAIN study group.
*Six patients were likely to have been infected before the procedure because it takes 3–5 days for reverse transcription PCR to be positive after exposure.
AIIMS, All India Institute of Medical Sciences; CMC, Christian Medical College; GBPH, Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital; PGIMER, Post Graduation Institute of Medical Education and Research; PPE, personal protective equipment; SGPGI, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute.