Surgical initial experience in patients with COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a reorganization of hospital and general surgery departments worldwide to assure the best medical and surgical treatment of patients with this disease and protection of the health-related personnel.Some of them will require surgical treatment either elective or urgent.Objective: Report the initial experience in the management of patients with COVID-19 in a third level hospital.Material and Methods: A review of the surgical protocols, personal protection equipment used by the surgical teams, and results of the treatment of forty-two patients submitted to surgery.Results: For four months (April-July 2020) forty-two patients with suspicion or confirmed infection of SARS-CoV2 underwent surgical treatment.The most common surgery was tracheostomy in 16 patients (38%) followed by exploratory laparotomy in 8 patients (19%).The median postoperative stay was 17 days, and the thirty-day postoperative mortality rate was 26%.Conclusions: Reorganization of the general surgery department and the hospital, favors adequate management and treatment of patients with COVID-19 and protection to the health-related personnel.Due to the usual co-existence of comorbidities and pulmonary complications the postoperative mortality of these patients is high.