Elective surgeries back on at L+M

Backus also announces it will offer procedures

New London — A slowdown in COVID-19 activity has enabled Lawrence + Memorial Hospital to resume scheduling elective surgeries, some 500 of which had been postponed since mid-March, L+M physicians said Monday.

“We’re going ahead with those that can’t wait much longer,” said

Dr. Geoffrey Nadzam, the hospital’s chief of surgery. “We’ve opened the door to those cases at a very cautious rate.”

Counting surgeries that had been deferred at L+M’s affiliates — Westerly Hospital and the Pequot Health Center in Groton — L+M Healthcare’s backlog of elective surgeries numbers about 650, Nadzam said, adding that the cases likely to be scheduled first include surgeries to improve blood flow to extremities and those having to do with cancer.

Cases involving progressive pain or neurological issues also will be pushed to the front of the line, he said.

Physicians at Backus Hospital in Norwich and throughout the Hartford HealthCare system also have announced they will begin performing elective surgeries.

L+M is able to resume elective surgeries because of the downward trend in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the state and in southeastern Connecticut, according to Dr. Oliver Mayorga, L+M’s chief medical officer, as well as the hospital’s ability to test more patients for the disease and provide sufficient personal protective equipment, or PPE, for staff.

“We can now test every patient (awaiting surgery),” Mayorga said.

Testing capacity at L+M’s drive-up station and in the hospital itself has increased in recent weeks, and the criteria to be tested have changed, he said. Those who are asymptomatic for the disease can now get a test provided they have a doctor’s order.

Previously, only those exhibiting symptoms could get a test.

“We’ve gotten better at these processes, too,” Mayorga said. “If the volume (of COVID-19) cases increases, we’re going to be able to manage it. We’ve got Pequot, too, where no COVID-19 patients are treated. Elective, same-day surgeries can be done there, taking the burden off L+M.”

Nadzam said patients’ fear of contracting COVID-19 has accounted for some of the decline in elective surgeries as people avoided the hospital. It’s a misconception, he said, that a hospital treating patients with the disease is a dangerous places.

“Science shows it’s one of the safest,” he said. “It’s more dangerous in shopping malls and grocery stores. This hospital has made massive efforts in cleaning, sanitizing and restricting visitors ...”

He said surgeries will be scheduled at 50% of capacity for at least the next few weeks, and that if the region’s COVID-19 numbers continue to drop, surgeries could be scheduled at 80% to 100% of capacity by the end of summer.

“If we see a spike in the numbers that usually translates into more need for beds,” he said. “Every day we pull up the newest data and every day we have a conversation with the nursing department, the administration, surgery, anesthesia to make sure everything is looking good.”

COVID-19 hospitalizations at L+M peaked at more than 30 about three weeks ago but since have declined, falling into the teens in recent days. On Monday, the hospital was treating 18 patients who had tested positive for the disease. Westerly Hospital has not had a COVID-19 patient in several days. Backus Hospital’s count has been in single digits in recent days.

Nadzam attributed L+M’s low numbers to the hospital’s staff and the region’s diligence in adhering to social-distancing guidelines and messaging about the importance of wearing masks. New London was well prepared as the disease spread in Connecticut from west to east, he said.

If there is a spike in cases on the horizon, it probably will occur in about three weeks from this week’s statewide reopening of certain businesses, including restaurants, Mayorga said. That and the warmer weather will likely reduce adherence to social distancing.

“But we’ll be able to handle it,” Mayorga said.