id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentence	flesch	summary	cache	txt
cord-318519-8sny5uq1	Hagan, Katherine B.	To the Editor	2020-05-12		.txt	text/plain	505	10	12	We would join Drs Rah and Platovsky 1 in arguing that endoscopy is especially high risk for several reasons: (1) upper and lower endoscopies are aerosolgenerating procedures (AGPs) 2 ; (2) these procedures involve bodily fluids that are known to carry the virus 3,4 ; (3) the procedure requires the gastroenterologist, technologist, and, at times, anesthesia provider to stand in close proximity to the site of aerosolization, 5 and, in the case of upper endoscopy, this places all 3 providers well within the 2-m zone for aerosolization; (4) many therapeutic procedures last ≥2 hours, with COVID-19 well-documented in upper airway secretions and feces 3, 4 ; and (5) increased infectious risk to faculty and staff in the GI suite due to the higher case volumes and prolonged AGPs in these areas. Furthermore, as highly sensitive diagnostic tests (RT-PCR) for COVID-19 become widely available for routine use, we urge institutions to be cognizant of the risks associated with GI procedures and endeavor to institute testing of asymptomatic patients in these areas.	cache/cord-318519-8sny5uq1.txt	txt/cord-318519-8sny5uq1.txt
