Resumption of day surgery activity in the acute phase of COVID-19 pandemic

The rapid spread of COVID-19 disease since February 2020 has strongly impacted on the Healthcare System worldwide, who above all was forced to ensure the treatment of the COVID infected patients primarily. Then, the elective surgical procedures were limited to oncology, even stopping any Day Surgery (DS) activities. In Italy more than DS 650.000 procedures have been delayed. Day surgery commonly is performed in free-standing units or in dedicated hospital areas, with separated access to spaces for admission and dedicated operating rooms, allowing a lower risk of contamination during hospitalization.1 The implementation of protocols and recommendations, and a new planning of the pathways, can ensure an early restart of daily surgery procedures, regardless of the pandemic trend

Open Surgery for Sportsman's Hernia a Retrospective Study

Sportsman's hernia is a painful syndrome in the inguinal area occurring in patients who play sports at an amatorial or professional level. Pain arises during sport, and sometimes persists after activity, representing an obstacle to sport resumption. A laparoscopic/endoscopic approach is proposed by many authors for treatment of the inguinal wall defect. Aim of this study is to assess the open technique in terms of safety and effectiveness, in order to obtain the benefit of an open treatment in an outpatient management. From October 2017 to July 2019, 34 patients underwent surgery for groin pain syndrome. All cases exhibited a bulging of the inguinal posterior wall. 14 patients were treated with Lichtenstein technique with transversalis fascia plication and placement of a polypropylene mesh fixed with fibrin glue. In 20 cases, a polypropylene mesh was placed in the preperitoneal space. The procedure was performed in day surgery facilities. Early or late postoperative complications did not occur in both groups. All patients returned to sport, in 32 cases with complete pain relief, whereas 2 patients experienced mild residual pain. The average value of return to sport was 34.11 ± 8.44 days. The average value of return to play was 53.82 ± 11.69 days. With regard to postoperative pain, no substantial differences between the two techniques were detected, and good results in terms of the resumption of sport were ensured in both groups. Surgical treatment for sportsman's hernia should be considered only after the failure of conservative treatment. The open technique is safe and allows a rapid postoperative recovery