Özet:

Abstract Aim The COVID-19 has affected all aspects of public health. In order to preserve valuable medical resources, most health care systems have halted elective and non-essential surgeries. Spine surgery is no exception in this period. However, defining essential and non-essential surgeries, the management of patients and due screening process has made a clear algorithm a must. Material and Methods The patients operated for various spinal surgeries during a 9-month period at an only reference trauma and spinal surgery performing secondary step state hospital in Central Anatolia were evaluated. During this time period, a guideline in discriminating essential surgeries, handling the pre and post-operative course based on previous publications and recommendations was formed. Results During this period 70 spinal surgeries were performed. The patients were categorized into 2 groups; 1- no to low risk and 2- high risk to definite group. Each group of patients underwent distinct process during their hospital stay in order to minimize the risk of contamination. No patient operated on was diagnosed with COVID-19 during their hospital stay or 10 days following their discharge. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing process. Numerous centers have shared their experiences while still fighting the contagion. This paper aimed to share an experience of a single trauma hospital of a city serving a population more than 250,000. Numerous more studies based on evidence based medicine are needed to frame a golden standard approach for surgical candidates during the pandemic.

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