Mar 14, 2020 - Health

Surgeon general asks hospitals to stop elective surgeries

Rashaan Ayesh

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams is asking hospitals to consider stopping elective surgeries as the coronavirus spreads.

What Adams is saying: "Hospital & healthcare systems, PLEASE CONSIDER STOPPING ELECTIVE PROCEDURES until we can #FlattenTheCurve! Each elective surgery you do: 1) Brings possible #Coronavirus to your facilities 2) Pulls from PPE stores 3) Taxes personnel who may be needed for #COVIDー19 response," Adams tweeted on Saturday morning.

The state of play: Some hospitals already had started canceling or postponing elective surgeries, MarketWatch writes.

UCSF Health hospitals are postponing up to 7,000 appointments a day, per MarketWatch.
Doctors have noted high risk or elderly patients are currently canceling elective surgeries, such as knee replacements, that require general anesthesia, Modern Healthcare reports.

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Surgeon general asks hospitals to stop elective surgeries

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