Table 1.
Recommendations for endoscopy during the COVID-19 pandemic from International/National Societies of gastroenterology/gastro-intestinal endoscopy, updated March 26, 2020
| Society; region or country | Date | Postpone nonurgent examinations | Urgent procedures | Prescreening of patients | Patients should use masks | Training for PPE use | Type of recommended PPE | Contact patients 14 days after examination | Self-surveillance by HCW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Societies | |||||||||
| European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE); Europe | March 18, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire | Yes for all | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Double gloves, mask (FFP2/3), goggles or face shield, gown, hairnet | Yes | Not reported |
| Sociedad Interamericana de Endoscopia Digestiva (SIED); Canada/Central and Latin America | March 18, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire | Not reported | Not reported | Double gloves, mask (surgical), goggles or face shield, gown, hairnet | Not reported | Yes |
| World Endoscopy Organization (WEO); Global | March 24, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis | Yes; questionnaire | Not reported | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (N95;FFP2/3), goggles or face shield, gown, hairnet | Not reported | Not reported |
| National Societies – United States | |||||||||
| American College of Gastroenterology (ACG); USA | March 15, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer, prosthetic removals | Yes; questionnaire | Not reported | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (type not reported), goggles or face shield, gown | Yes | Not reported |
| American Gastroenterological Association (AGA); USA∗ | March 18, 2020 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Gloves, mask (N95), goggles or face shield, gown | Not reported | Not reported |
| American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE); USA† | March 27, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer | Yes; questionnaire, body temperature | Yes if symptoms | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (N95/FFP2), goggles or face shield, gown | Yes | Not reported |
| National Societies – Canada / Central and South America | |||||||||
| Asociación Mexicana de Endoscopia Gastrointestinal; México | Not reported | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer, drainage of pancreatic collection, nutritional tube | Yes; questionnaire | Yes for all | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (type not reported), goggles or face shield, gown, hairnet; double gloves, special masks (N95, FFP2/3), goggles and face shield in highly suspected or confirmed cases | Not reported | Not reported |
| Canadian Association of Gastroenterology; Canadá | March 16, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis | Yes; questionnaire | Not reported | Not reported | Gloves, mask (surgical), goggles or face shield, gown; double gloves and special mask (N95 or FFP2/3) in highly suspected or confirmed cases | Not reported | Not reported |
| Federación Argentina de Asociaciones de Endoscopía Digestiva; Argentina | March 16, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire | Yes if symptoms | Not reported | Gloves, mask (surgical, N95 in highly suspected or confirmed cases), goggles or face shield, gown, hairnet | Not reported | Not reported |
| Sociedad Chilena de Gastroenterología; Chile | Not reported | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire, body temperature | Not reported | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (surgical), goggles or face shield, gown; double gloves and special mask (N95 or FFP2/3) in highly suspected or confirmed cases | Not reported | Yes |
| Sociedad Dominicana de Gastroenterologia; República Dominicana | March 16, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire, body temperature | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Yes |
| Sociedad Uruguaya de Endoscopía Digestiva; Uruguay | March 13, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire, body temperature | Not reported | Not reported | Gloves, mask (surgical), goggles or face shield, gown; special mask (N95 or FFP3) in confirmed cases | Not reported | Not reported |
| Sociedade Brasileira de Endoscopia Digestiva; Brazil | March 21, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer, endoscopic ligation band; endoscopic dilatation | Yes; questionnaire | Yes for all | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Double gloves, double mask (surgical plus N95), goggles or face shield, gown, hairnet | Yes | Not reported |
| National Societies – Europe | |||||||||
| British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG); United Kingdom | March 28, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer, urgent inpatient nutrition support (PEG/NJ tube), endoscopic vacuum therapy for perforations/leaks; infected pancreatic collections | Not reported | Not reported | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (FFP3), goggles or face shield, gown, hairnet | Not reported | Not reported |
| French Society of Digestive Endoscopy (SFED); France | March 11, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire | Yes for all | Not reported | Gloves, mask (surgical; FFP2 in symptomatic patients), goggles or face shield, gown. | Not reported | Yes |
| Portuguese Society of Digestive Endoscopy (SPED); Portugal | March 15, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; Questionnaire | Not reported | Not reported | Gloves, mask (surgical), goggles or face shield, gown. Double gloves and special mask (FFP2) in confirmed cases | Not reported | Yes |
| Romanian Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (SRED) | March 15, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Spanish Association of Digestive Endoscopy (SEED); Spain | March 15, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer, | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Gloves, mask (surgical), goggles or face shield, gown; double gloves and special mask (FFP3) in confirmed cases | Not reported | Not reported |
| National Societies – Asia-Pacific | |||||||||
| Indian Society of Gastroenterology; India | March 18, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer, urgent inpatient nutrition support (PEG/NJ tube), drainage of infected pancreatic collections | Yes; questionnaire, body temperature | Yes if symptoms | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (type not reported), goggles or face shield (both in highly suspected patients), gown | Not reported | Yes |
| Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA); Austrália | March 20, 2020 | Yes | Not reported | Yes; questionnaire | Not reported | Yes; how to wear and to remove | Gloves, mask (surgical, N95 or FFP2/3 in highly suspected or confirmed cases), goggles or face shield, gown | Not reported | Not reported |
| Philippine Society of Gastroenterology; Philippines | March 13, 2020 | Yes | Upper GI bleeding, foreign body/obstruction; acute cholangitis, care of cancer, urgent inpatient nutrition support (PEG/NJ tube) | Yes; questionnaire, body temperature | Not reported | Not reported | Gloves, mask (surgical), goggles or face shield (both in highly suspected cases), gown, hairnet; special masks (N95), goggles and face shield in highly suspected or confirmed cases | Not reported | Yes |
Web links for all societies and recommendations are available in the supplementary material online at www.giejournal.org.
PPE, Personal protective equipment; HCW, healthcare worker(s); NJ, nasojejunal.
∗
Recommendations based on publication by Ungaro et al, CGH https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2020.03.3758 and joint GI society message from ACG, AASLD, ACG, ASGE.
†
Recommendations based on publication by Soetikno et al, GIE doi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2020.03.3758.