BMC Anesthesiology (Jan 2021)

Postoperative outcomes in surgical COVID-19 patients: a multicenter cohort study

  • François Martin Carrier,
  • Éva Amzallag,
  • Vincent Lecluyse,
  • Geneviève Côté,
  • Étienne J. Couture,
  • Frédérick D’Aragon,
  • Stanislas Kandelman,
  • Alexis F. Turgeon,
  • Alain Deschamps,
  • Roy Nitulescu,
  • Codjo Djignefa Djade,
  • Martin Girard,
  • Pierre Beaulieu,
  • Philippe Richebé

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12871-021-01233-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract Background Data on postoperative outcomes of the COVID-19 patient population is limited. We described COVID-19 patients who underwent a surgery and the pandemic impact on surgical activities. Methods We conducted a multicenter cohort study between March 13 and June 192,020. We included all COVID-19 patients who underwent surgery in nine centres of the Province of Québec, the Canadian province most afflicted by the pandemic. We also included concomitant suspected COVID-19 (subsequently confirmed not to have COVID-19) patients and patients who had recovered from it. We collected data on baseline characteristics, postoperative complications and postoperative mortality. Our primary outcome was 30-day mortality. We also collected data on overall surgical activities during this first wave and during the same period in 2019. Results We included 44 COVID-19 patients, 18 suspected patients, and 18 patients who had recovered from COVID-19 at time of surgery. Among the 44 COVID-19 patients, 31 surgeries (71%) were urgent and 16 (36%) were major. In these patients, pulmonary complications were frequent (25%) and 30-day mortality was high (15.9%). This mortality was higher in patients with symptoms (23.1%) compared to those without symptoms (5.6%), although not statistically significant (p = 0.118). Of the total 22,616 cases performed among participating centres during the study period, only 0.19% had COVID-19 at the time of surgery. Fewer procedures were performed during the study period compared to the same period in 2019 (44,486 cases). Conclusion In this Canadian cohort study, postoperative 30-day mortality in COVID-19 patients undergoing surgery was high (15.9%). Although few surgeries were performed on COVID-19 patients, the pandemic impact on surgical activity volume was important. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04458337 .

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