COVID-19 plastic surgeons on the front line - Jorge Leon-Villapalos

Jorge Leon-Villapalos

Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

During these difficult times our department is noticing that Burn injuries, despite a reduction in number, continue occurring, and require appropriate management.

Initiatives such as those taken by BAPRAS and its members have aimed at raising awareness and alerting the public to avoid injury whilst in self-isolation. In order to reduce the burden on health care imposed by COVID-19, injuries usually managed by plastic surgeons can be averted by the public simply being extra vigilant to avoid injury while at home. For those burn injuries that still come through, hospitals are facing the combined challenge of continuing to treat patients whilst contributing to the NHS effort of beating the pandemic.

Our daily activity involves not only the delivery of Consultant-led Burn Care and keeping our services open, active and functional, but also the need for awareness to provide multidisciplinary support and solidarity to our Intensive Care colleagues and other specialties.  Some specific skills, such as the ability to perform tracheostomies have proved very useful in the management of these patients. I am proud to say that in addition to the Burns surgical team, the Burns team nurses and allied health professionals have distinguished themselves in their selfless back up to other teams dealing with front line Coronavirus victims.

Burn services face similar challenges common to other Plastic Surgery subspecialties dealing with acute Trauma. These may relate not only to bed availability but also to the provision of appropriate staff levels. These may undoubtedly be affected not only by the need for required redeployment but also by potential increase in sickness levels. Performing burns surgery may be confronted not only by limitations in theatre space availability, but also by the need to protect ourselves appropriately with PPE. This has modified our protocols and added complexity  to our surgeries.

Ultimately, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic will prove that the spirit of Fellowship between teams will prevail and their combined efforts will allow patients to obtain best results.