LAUSR

T he COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed surgical priorities in the United States and worldwide. Patients with timesensitive surgical conditions or tumors have been prioritised, whereas patients with surgical conditions that require less urgent management such as asymptomatic hernias or obesity have been postponed indefinitely. As the spread of COVID-19 places greater demands on health systems, further triage will be required. The American College of Surgeons has provided guidance to aid in prioritizing cases, but challenges will remain both in this current time of crisis and over the several months after the peak of the pandemic. Getting this right will be a challenge, and there are several considerations that will need to be taken into account as systems develop long-term strategies for surgical prioritization.