St. Luke’s restarts elective surgery and related procedures

St. Luke’s University Health Network will begin elective surgeries and resume certain other related procedures at its Pennsylvania hospitals and facilities on Monday, May 11. “Our hospitals are safe, and we are ready for you,” said Dr. William R. Burfeind, chairman of surgery.

The stay-at-home measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus have proven effective in the community, and St. Luke’s infectious disease experts have determined that elective surgeries and associated diagnostic and imaging studies may proceed with certain safeguards. This change does not apply to St. Luke’s Warren Campus, which is on a separate, New Jersey timetable.

For example, universal masking and social distancing measures will remain in place in the office, and patient appointments will continue to be spaced out to reduce the flow of traffic. Additionally:

• If a surgery requires a hospital stay, the patient will be on a floor with no known COVID-19 patients.

• The nurses and staff taking care of surgery patients will not take care of COVID-19 patients at the same time.

• All patients undergoing surgery will be COVID-19-tested, helping to maintain a COVID-19-free surgical environment.

“Our surgeons are looking forward to resuming an expanded array of elective procedures,” Burfeind said. “Our priority is and will always be the safety of our patients.”

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