Minimising risk to thoracic surgical teams in an era of COVID-19: exploring possible preventative measures

The demands of curtailing the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic have disrupted the world's ability to care for patients with thoracic pathologies. Those who undergo thoracic surgical therapeutic procedures are a high-risk category, likely to have impaired lung function but also high risk for exposing clinical teams to aerosolised viral loads. In light of this global pandemic, thorough pre-procedural planning, adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), experienced personnel and judicious anaesthetic and intra-operative measures will serve to be instrumental in ensuring positive patient outcomes whilst still protecting the safety of healthcare workers.