Patients who undergo surgery after contracting coronavirus are at significantly increased risk of postoperative death, new global study published in The Lancet.
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Researchers have found that for infected patients who have undergone surgery, mortality rates are approaching those of the sickest patients admitted to intensive care after contracting the virus in the community.
The researchers looked at data from 1,128 patients from 235 hospitals. A total of 24 countries participated, mainly in Europe.
Even in minor surgery
According to experts at NIH University in Birmingham (UK), infected patients who undergo surgery have significantly worse postoperative results than those expected for similar patients who do not have COVID-19.
The 30-day overall mortality in the study was 23.8%.
Mortality was disproportionately high in all subgroups, including elective surgery (18.9%), emergency surgery (25.6%), minor surgery such as appendectomy or hernia repair (16.3%) and major surgery such as hip surgery or colon cancer surgery (26.9%).
Men at higher risk
The study identified that death rates were higher in men (28.4%) than in women (18.2%) and in patients aged 70 years or older (33.7%) compared those under the age of 70 (13.9%).
In addition to age and gender, risk factors for postoperative death included serious preexisting medical conditions, cancer surgery, major procedures, and emergency surgery. Among the conclusions, the study notably reveals that non-critical surgery should be postponed during COVID-19 outbreaks.
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