Introduction — This topic includes links to society and government-sponsored guidelines from selected countries and regions around the world. We will update these links periodically; newer versions of some guidelines may be available on each society's website. Some societies may require users to log in to access their guidelines.
The recommendations in the following guidelines may vary from those that appear in UpToDate topic reviews. Readers who are looking for UpToDate topic reviews should use the UpToDate search box to find the relevant content.
Links to related guidelines are provided separately. (See "Society guideline links: COVID-19 – Index of guideline topics".)
General guidance for surgery
●International
•International Union of Phlebology (UIP), Australasian College of Phlebology (ACP), American Vein and Lymphatic Society (AVLS), American Venous Forum (AVF), European College of Phlebology (ECoP), European Venous Forum (EVF), Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia (IRSA), Latin American Venous Forum, Pan-American Society of Phlebology and Lymphology, and Venous Association of India (VAI): Consensus document on triage of patients with venous and lymphatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic – The Venous and Lymphatic Triage and Acuity Scale (VELTAS) (2020)
●Canada
•Prioritizing surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Quebec guidelines (2021)
●United States
•Wound Healing Society (WHS): COVID-19 guidelines
•Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES): Guidance statement regarding the use of laparoscopy in the era of COVID-19 (2022)
•National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP): A position paper on unavoidable pressure injury during COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•Surgical Infection Society (SIS): Guidance for operative and peri-operative care of adult patients infected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) (2020)
•Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN): Recommendations for wound assessment & photo documentation in isolation (2020)
●United Kingdom
•Association of Anaesthetists, the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPC), the Federation of Surgical Specialty Associations (FSSA), the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCOA) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS): A multidisciplinary consensus statement on SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 and timing of elective surgery (2021)
Elective general surgery
●United States
•American College of Surgeons (ACS): COVID-19 – Surgeon toolkit for discussion with patients
•ACS: COVID-19 – Elective case triage guidelines for surgical care (2020)
•ACS: COVID-19 – Guidance for triage of non-emergent surgical procedures (2020)
•ACS: COVID-19 – Recommendations for management of elective surgical procedures (2020)
•ACS: Local resumption of elective surgery guidance (2020)
•ACS: Recommendations concerning surgery amid the COVID-19 pandemic resurgence (2020)
•ACS, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), American Hospital Association (AHA): Joint statement – Roadmap for resuming elective surgery after COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS): Important update to considerations for the continuation or resumption of elective surgery and visits (updated 2020)
•ASPS: Statement on breast reconstruction in the face of COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and European Association for Endoscopic Surgeons (EAES): Recommendations for minimally invasive surgery during COVID‑19 pandemic (2020)
●Europe
•Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and European Association for Endoscopic Surgeons (EAES): Recommendations for minimally invasive surgery during COVID‑19 pandemic (2020)
●United Kingdom
•Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN): COVID-19 position statement – Reducing the risk of postoperative mortality due to COVID-19 in patients undergoing elective surgery (updated 2021)
•Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland (ASGBI), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland (ACPGBI), Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons (AUGIS), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI): Updated intercollegiate general surgery guidance on COVID-19 (2020)
•Federation of Surgical Specialty Associations (FSSA): Clinical guide to surgical prioritisation during the coronavirus pandemic (2020)
•Royal College of Surgeons (RCS): Guidance on recovery of surgical services during and after COVID-19 (2020)
●India
•Indian Society of Anesthesiologists (ISA): Advisory and position statement on COVID operation theatre (2020)
●Australia-New Zealand
•New South Wales (NSW) Health: Recommendations for operating theatres during Amber alert and high community prevalence of COVID-19 (2022)
•NSW Health: Timing of surgery after COVID-19 in adults (2022)
•NSW Health: Personal protective equipment in the operating theatre – COVID-19 pandemic decision support tool (updated 2021)
•NSW Health: COVID-19 aerosolisation during laparoscopic surgery – Risks and recommendations for clinicians (2020)
Emergency general surgery
●International
•American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ASCVTS): Consensus document for the triage and management of aortic emergencies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (2021)
●United States
•American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ASCVTS): Consensus document for the triage and management of aortic emergencies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (2021)
•American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST): Guidance and recommendations on performing tracheostomy during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020)
•AAST: Guidance and recommendations on tube thoracostomy during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), American Hospital Association (AHA): Joint statement – Roadmap for maintaining essential surgery during COVID-19 pandemic (updated 2020)
●Europe
•GAVeCeLT: Considerations on the use of vascular access devices in patients with COVID-19 (and some practical recommendations) (2020)
●United Kingdom
•British Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (BSGAR)-British Society of Thoracic Imaging (BSTI): Updated statement for chest imaging in patients undergoing CT of the acute surgical abdomen (2020)
Other surgical specialties
●United States
•American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): Guidelines for elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS): Guidance for return to practice for otolaryngology-head and neck surgery – Part one (2020)
•AAO-HNS: Guidance for return to practice for otolaryngology-head and neck surgery – Part two (2020)
•Maxillofacial trauma management during COVID-19: Multidisciplinary recommendations (2020)
●United Kingdom
•Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH): National guidance for the recovery of elective surgery in children (2020, updated 2021)
●India
•Guidelines for the management of ocular trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
Resources for patients — The following links provide resources about COVID-19 for non-clinicians. These resources come from select society and government-sponsored guidelines from several countries and regions around the world.
●[United States] American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO): Eye health during COVID-19 – Patient information
●[United States] American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNSF): What you should know about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
●[United States] American Burn Association (ABA): COVID-19 public resources
●[United States] American College of Surgeons (ACS): COVID-19 and surgical procedures – A guide for patients
●[United States] ACS: Preparing to have surgery during the time of COVID-19 – Be prepared: Patient-surgeon discussion guide
●[Europe] European Association of Urology (EAU): Patient information – Coronavirus COVID-19
UpToDate also offers "The Basics" patient education pieces, which are written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate. These are written in plain language, at the 5th to 6th grade reading level, and answer the main questions a person is likely to have. (See "Patient education: COVID-19 overview (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 and children (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 and pregnancy (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 vaccines (The Basics)".)
