The prime of COVID-19 forced institutions and hospitals to convert operating rooms into intensive care units. Now as the disease prevalence drops and plateaus in several countries, elective surgeries are being slowly resuming. Such that asymptomatic carriers too would approach hospitals for surgical needs. Coronaviruses are understood to transmit both by droplets and aerosols. Orthopaedic surgery requires regular use of high-speed instruments like power drills, oscillating saws and burrs. Several medical procedures are known to create aerosols thereby exposing the surgeon to contract the virus. Adequate know-how and protective means are mandatory to safeguard the surgical team from inevitable exposure.
Aerosol generating procedures in orthopaedics and recommended protective gear