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Surgical specialities launch national COVID-19 tracheostomy service evaluation

The Federation of Surgical Specialty Associations (FSSA) has launched COVIDTrach, a UK-wide database to evaluate and track the effectiveness of tracheostomies on COVID-19 patients. Support for the Research Data Collection Service (REDCap) is provided by the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) and ENT UK.

The FSSA represents the whole family of surgery and includes the Association of Anaesthetists. It is in the perfect position to promote this important national service evaluation of tracheostomies in patients with COVID-19.

The original database was conceived by University College London (UCL) and has now been adopted for roll out across the four countries of the UK. Support for REDCap registration from BAOMS and ENT UK ensures that registration to use REDCap does not delay data collection. The contact for BAOMS is redcap@baoms.org.uk and at ENT UK is covid.trach@nhs.net. It is expected that there will be enormous demand for registration in the next week so don’t delay.

More information about this project is available on the FSSA website and on the websites of ENT UK and BAOMS.

Kathleen Ferguson, President of the Association of Anaesthetists, said: “Many patients critically unwell with COVID-19 infection may need a tracheostomy to facilitate their recovery from prolonged mechanical ventilations. The decision to perform a tracheostomy including the timing and technique is a shared one between the intensive care team and the surgeon. A multidisciplinary evaluation of this service is essential to add to our understanding of the best care for patients with critical COVID-19. I encourage every unit to sign up to this project.”

FSSA President Nigel Mercer commented: “The FSSA has a strong track record of supporting projects, which cross surgical silos. This is the first FSSA project where the procedure is also undertaken by anaesthetists. To have the Association of Anaesthetists promoting it together with ENT UK and BAOMS championing the study, we anticipate the outcome will be a significant contribution to our knowledge of the worst effects of Covid.”

Notes to Editors

  • The FSSA is the Federation of Surgical Specialty Associations, and is comprised of the Presidents of the ten surgical specialties recognised by the GMC and the President of the Association of Anaesthetists. In consequence the views of the Federation reflect the views of most of the specialist surgeons practicing within the United Kingdom. 
  • REDCap is the University College London’s (UCL) Research Data Collection Service. 
  • The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) promotes the advancement of education, research and the development of oral and maxillofacial Surgery in Great Britain, and encourages and assists postgraduate education, study and research.
  • ENT UK is the professional membership body representing Ear, Nose and Throat surgery, as well as its related specialities, in the United Kingdom. We support members at every stage of their careers, from student-level right through to retirement – a total of more than 1,600 medical practitioners.

 

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