Worsening COVID-19 Disease Course After Surgical Trauma: A Case Series

Introduction: Current guidelines from the American Society of Anesthesiologists recommend postponing elective surgery on COVID-19-positive patients for a minimum of four to twelve weeks. However, literature focusing on the outcomes of COVID-19-positive patients undergoing surgery is scarce. In this case series, the outcome of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients undergoing acute or semi-urgent surgery was evaluated.

Case presentation: A case series of four patients between 32 and 82 years old with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection undergoing acute or semi-urgent surgery was presented here. All four patients were asymptomatic for COVID-19, developing severe respiratory failure following endo CABG, caesarian section, a thyroidectomy, or abdominal surgery. ICU admission, together with invasive ventilation, was necessary for all patients. Two patients required venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment. A mortality of 50% was observed.

Conclusions: In conclusion, the present case series suggests that elective surgery in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected patients might elicit an exacerbated COVID-19 disease course. This study endorses the current international guidelines recommending postponing elective surgery for SARS-CoV-2-positive patients for seven weeks, depending on the severity of the surgery and perioperative morbidities, to minimize postoperative mortality.