Heightened 30-Day Postoperative Complication Risk Persists After COVID-19 Infection

Area of Science:

• * Surgical outcomes research
• * Infectious disease complications
• * Public health and patient safety

Background:

• * Limited data exists on surgical risks for patients recovered from COVID-19 compared to actively infected individuals.
• * Existing literature primarily focuses on the risks of operating on patients with active COVID-19 infections.
• * Understanding postoperative outcomes in recovered COVID-19 patients is crucial for surgical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To compare 30-day postoperative complications and 90-day readmissions between COVID-19-recovered and COVID-19-naïve surgical patients.
• * To analyze surgical outcomes across all subspecialties in a tertiary referral center.
• * To identify risk factors associated with adverse outcomes in recovered COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

• * Retrospective analysis of 112 COVID-19 positive patients who underwent surgery.
• * Matching COVID-19 positive patients with COVID-19 naïve controls who had similar procedures.
• * Primary outcomes: 30-day postoperative complications and 90-day readmissions; multivariable analyses performed.

Main Results:

• * COVID-19 recovered patients had significantly higher 30-day postoperative complication rates (22%) than COVID-19 naïve controls (8%).
• * Surgery performed 30-120 days post-COVID-19 diagnosis, emergency department presentation, and elevated ASA scores were linked to complications.
• * No significant difference in 90-day readmission rates between the two groups was observed.

Conclusions:

• * Previous COVID-19 infection is associated with an increased perioperative risk profile for 30-day complications.
• * This elevated risk is particularly evident in unvaccinated patient populations.
• * Further research is needed to elucidate specific mechanisms and optimize care pathways.