D0621 - Patterns of COVID-19 Vaccination and Protective Equipment Usage in Endoscopy: A Survey of Endoscopy Providers

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Location: Crown Ballroom

Has Audio

Presenting Author(s)

Kenneth Chow, MD

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, CA

Kenneth Chow, MD¹, Matthew Bell, MD¹, Mary Krinsky, MD², Phoenix Nguyen, MD³, Sofiya Reicher, MD¹
¹Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA; ²University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA; ³Hoag Advanced Endoscopy Center, Newport Beach, CA

Introduction: Endoscopic procedures have an increased risk for COVID-19 transmission due to their production of respiratory droplets and aerosolized particles. Early case reports and surveys suggest that transmission risk during endoscopy is low given proper personal protective equipment (PPE) usage. However, the advent of new virus variants led to renewed concern regarding infection risk. We examined how these recent trends have affected patterns of COVID-19 positivity, endoscopy center pre-procedure screening protocols, PPE usage, and healthcare provider perceptions of safety in endoscopy.

Methods: We surveyed gastroenterologists, nurses, technicians, and other endoscopy unit personnel throughout the United States. The survey was sent on November 1, 2021 and November 15, 2021, and assessed patterns of COVID-19 positivity among providers, vaccination status, COVID-19 testing protocols, and PPE usage.

Results: Seventy-two individuals responded to the survey with a self-reported vaccination rate of 100%. Nine individuals (13%) reported testing positive for COVID-19, all of whom tested positive before vaccination. Fifty-one (71%) endoscopy workers received the booster dose, and 13 (18%) endoscopy workers planned to in the future. Seven (10%) had not received a booster dose and did not plan to, even if available. Forty-three (60%) individuals reported that their endoscopy center mandated routine COVID-19 testing for all patients undergoing endoscopy. Sixty-one respondents (85%) reported feeling safer performing endoscopic procedures after vaccination (Table).

Discussion: In our cohort, no individuals tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving their first vaccination series, compared to 9 individuals who tested positive before vaccination. Most endoscopy workers received the booster dose or plan to once available, and most report feeling safer during endoscopy post-vaccination. Although the American Gastroenterological Association had recommended against routine COVID-19 screening prior to elective endoscopy, 60% of respondents reported that their endoscopy center mandated routine pre-procedural screening. Our findings suggest that even with the advent of the highly transmissible Delta variant in early 2021, COVID-19 transmission during endoscopy remained low given vaccination and proper PPE utilization. Further data is needed to shape practice-changing guidelines regarding booster vaccine mandates and pre-procedural screening in high-risk fields such as endoscopy.

Demographics
Number of responses		72
Age (mean ± SD)		47.4 ± 11.6
Gender	Male	23 (31.9%)
Gender	Female	49 (68.1%)
COVID-19 Positivity
Tested Positive for COVID-19	Yes	9 (12.5%)
Tested Positive for COVID-19	No	63 (87.5%)
Timing of COVID-19 Positivity	Before vaccination	9 (100.0%)
	After vaccination	0 (0.0%)
	January 2020 to June 2020	2 (22.2%)
	July 2020 to December 2020	5 (55.6%)
	January 2021 to June 2021	1 (11.1%)
	June 2021 to December 2021	1 (11.1%)
Symptom Severity in Positive Individuals	Asymptomatic	0 (0.0%)
	Mild	5 (55.6%)
	Moderate	4 (44.4%)
	Severe	0 (0.0%)
	Critical illness	0 (0.0%)
Endoscopy Center Guidelines
Endoscopy Center Mask Requirements	Does not require N95 for any patient	14 (19.4%)
	Only for suspected COVID-19 patients	32 (44.4%)
	For all upper endoscopic procedures	5 (6.9%)
	For all endoscopic procedures	20 (27.8%)
	Other	1 (1.4%)
Mandatory Pre-Procedural Testing	Yes	43 (59.7%)
Mandatory Pre-Procedural Testing	No	29 (40.3%)
Endoscopy Provider Perceptions
Perception of safety performing endoscopic procedures after receiving vaccination compared to before	Much safer	41 (56.9%)
	Somewhat safer	20 (27.8%)
	Same	9 (12.5%)
	Somewhat less safe	1 (1.4%)
	Much less safe	0 (0.0%)
	No response	1 (1.4%)

Disclosures:

Kenneth Chow indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Matthew Bell indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Mary Krinsky indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Phoenix Nguyen indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Sofiya Reicher indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Kenneth Chow, MD¹, Matthew Bell, MD¹, Mary Krinsky, MD², Phoenix Nguyen, MD³, Sofiya Reicher, MD¹. D0621 - Patterns of COVID-19 Vaccination and Protective Equipment Usage in Endoscopy: A Survey of Endoscopy Providers, ACG 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Charlotte, NC: American College of Gastroenterology.