SAN ANTONIO ā Patients who were forced to put elective surgeries on hold may soon be heading back in for the procedure. On Friday, Governor Greg Abbott issued an order that loosened the restrictions on surgeries in Texas.
Many cancer patients were among those who had to wait for the news. Dr. Michael Keller with Texas Oncology said the hardest part of the past few weeks was telling his patients, āno.ā
āWe spend all this time doing consultations and time in and acquiring the patientās trust so that they allow us to do these these sometimes very invasive, large operations and then turn around and say we canāt do it," Keller said. āAnd in having to be there to listen to the patientās anxiety and concern, thatās been very difficult because itās not what we were trying to do. We were trying to treat patients. We werenāt trained to just sit on problems and not do anything.ā
Keller said that surgery is a major component of treating cancer patients, but many of them did not meet the qualifications to allow for them under the Governorās order issued in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
āWe were only allowed to proceed with surgeries in the case where the patientās life was threatened so essentially emergency only procedures," Keller said. āAnd while a number of cancer cases or are urgent and most definitely important, they didnāt quite fall under the category of emergency where the patientās life was imminently in danger. And so weāve had a large number of cases or we simply just had to put a hold on them.ā
Keller said they are prepared to move forward with those surgeries following the guidelines for social distancing and proper protective equipment.
āEveryone will be donning masks. Everyone will maintain distancing, will minimize personal exposure in the operating room and in the clinic, and really only do the essential steps necessary with the minimal number of people available to safely proceed with the operations,ā Keller said.
Some hospitals have already announced plans to move forward with surgeries. Christus San Rosa Health System and The Childrenās Hospital of San Antonio said surgeries will resume on April 22, consistent with Abbottās orders.
The hospitals will have several precautions in place, however, like limiting visitors, screening everyone with temperature checks, and requiring everyone to wear masks.
Keller said while the last few weeks have been tough, he and his colleagues are eager to get back to work.
āWe spend all this time doing consultations and time in acquiring the patientās trust so that they allow us to do these these sometimes very invasive, large operations and then turn around and say we canāt do it,ā Keller said. āAnd in having to be there to listen to the patientās anxiety and concern, thatās been very difficult because itās not what we were trying to do. We were trying to treat patients. We werenāt trained to just sit on problems and not do anything.ā
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.
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