Is Surgery a Risk in Recovered COVID-19 Patients?

Abstract

Objective: Preoperative evaluation and operation timing have always been a critical aspect of safe surgical practice, and in the midst of the SARSCoV-2 pandemic, it has become even more crucial to patient safety. The aim of this study is to examine the reliability and results of surgery in recovered COVID-19 patients. Methods: Patients who recovered after COVID-19 infection and who underwent surgery between June 2020 and January 2021 were included in the study. Demographic data of patients, comorbidities, symptoms of COVID-19, time from diagnosis of COVID-19 to surgery (weeks), type of surgery (major/minor), hospitalization time, and postoperative complications were examined. Results: Of the 70 patients, 36 were female and 34 were male. The mean age was 53.7. The number of cases who had asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 infection was 23 and 47, respectively. The interval between infection and surgery was an average of 10.2 (range, 2-31) weeks. The number of major and minor surgical procedures was 54 and 16, respectively. The average hospitalization time was 2.38 days, and 30-day mortality was 1.4%. According to the Clavien–Dindo classification, 61.4% of patients did not develop postoperative complications. There was no significant difference in hospitalization time, Clavien–Dindo score, and mortality between patient groups that had symptomatic and asymptomatic infection (P > .05). There was also no statistically significant correlation between COVID-19 positive diagnosis and postoperative complications, Clavien–Dindo score, and mortality (P > .05). Conclusion: Surgical procedures can be performed safely in recovered COVID-19 patients who do not have symptoms during the time of surgery