Table 1.

Adapted from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Intercollegiate General Surgery Guidance on COVID‐19 (https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/coronavirus/joint-guidance-for-surgeons-v2/) and BJUI ‘COVID‐19 and Urology’ blog.

Surgical procedure	Summary of impact of COVID‐19 on selected urological procedures
Endoscopic/outpatient procedures	Diagnostic work should be avoided where possible, only emergency procedures under local anaesthetic ideally. Only urgent outpatient procedures should be carried out, these include biopsies of the prostate, cystoscopies for suspected bladder malignancy or haematuria.
Open/laparoscopic	Only urgent procedures, assessment for COVID‐19 should be carried out, reduce chances of the need for post‐surgery critical care. Full personal protection equipment (PPE) should be worn. Urgent procedures may include trauma, ureteric stones, torsion and high‐risk cancer patients The safety of carrying out laparoscopic work remains undetermined The merits of local vs general anaesthetic should be considered on a case by case basis if applicable
Selected points on general theatre safety
The number of staff in theatre should be minimised and all must wear PPE in full with visors Positive pressurisation should be put on hold in theatre during a procedure and only 20 min after the patient has left the theatre, should it be restarted Need for COVID 19 testing of the patients and the clinical team prior to the procedure

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