Pain distraction during awake low anterior resection and Cuddle Delivery initiative for inpatient: frugal procedural options to support surgery in the COVID-19 era.

Since minimally invasive surgery and general anesthesia are both aerosol-generating procedures, their use became controversial during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Moreover, social distancing resulted in serious psychological consequences for inpatients. This case report investigates pain distraction during awake laparotomy, as well as new possibilities for emotional postoperative support to inpatients. A 72-year-old man affected by middle rectal adenocarcinoma underwent lower anterior resection plus total mesorectal excision under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. A 3D mobile theatre (3DMT) was intraoperatively used for pain distraction. A postoperative "Cuddle delivery" service was instituted: video-messages from relatives and close friends were delivered daily to the patient through the 3DMT. Emotional correlations were investigated through a clinical interview by the psychologist of our Hospital. Intraoperative, as well as postoperative pain, resulted well-controlled: visual analogue scale (VAS) ≤3. Conversion to general anesthesia and postoperative intensive support/monitoring were unnecessary. The "Cuddle delivery" initiative positively fed our patient's mood and attitude, strengthening his bond to life. During pandemic, awake laparotomy under loco-regional anesthesia may be a crucial option in delivering acute care surgery to selected patients when intensive care beds are unavailable. Our procedure introduces potential ways to optimize this approach.