Austin-based Texas Orthopedics is resuming cases with strict safety protocols in place now that the state's elective surgery restrictions have expired, according to local ABC affiliate KVUE.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned all nonemergency surgeries in March, loosened the restrictions to allow some elective cases as of April 22 and let the limitations expire entirely May 8.
With six clinics open for in-office visits and one opening May 18, Texas Orthopedics is bringing patients back for surgery with "universal precautions" in place, according to orthopedic surgeon Tyler Goldberg, MD.
Texas Orthopedics is asking all patients to get tested for COVID-19 and to self-quarantine for seven days before their operation. All patients will go home the day of their surgery.
The practice intends to treat every patient as if they have COVID-19, since "the tests themselves are not 100 percent accurate," Dr. Goldberg said.
Dr. Goldberg has about 115 patients on his waitlist, about quadruple the normal number. He expects it will take four to five months to work through the backlog.
Eased restrictions don't mean the crisis is over, Dr. Goldberg said. If a patient at one of Texas Orthopedics' clinics ends up having COVID-19, the practice could have to shut down again.