Managing Vascular Surgery Emergencies and Referrals During the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Tertiary Centre in Oman

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to discuss the different challenges faced while managing emergency vascular surgery cases during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these challenges were overcome. METHODS: This study details 14 emergency cases that were managed during a period of one month from mid-March to mid-April at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. The cases included acute limb ischaemia, critical limb ischaemia, type B dissection of the thoracic aorta, thoraco-abdominal aneurysm, critical internal carotid artery stenosis, trauma, infected arteriovenous forearm loop graft and thrombosed arteriovenous fistulas. RESULTS: Only one patient was confirmed to have COVID-19. Five were negative for COVID-19 while the remaining eight were not tested. Various strategies on how the vascular surgical team accommodated changes in hospital protocols and nationwide lockdown are discussed in detail. CONCLUSIONS: With the judicious use of personal protective equipment and consumable surgical and endovascular devices, communication with support services and other hospitals and implementation of triage protocols, it was possible to manage vascular surgery emergencies effectively.