Study: COVID infection negatively impacts surgical outcomes

Symptomatic SARS-COV-2 patients undergoing surgical procedures experience significantly higher 30-day in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, longer ICU and hospital stay, and pulmonary complications, according to a study published August 1 in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing.

Researchers analyzed a year’s worth of records of 102 infected surgical patients and those who had recently recovered. Findings include:

• Twenty-four patients died postoperatively in the hospital within 30 days.
• Forty-four patients required ICU admission.
• Median postoperative length of stay was 8 days.
• Patients aged 41 to 60 years experienced higher rates of pulmonary and thromboembolic complications.
• Symptomatic patients experienced significantly higher 30-day in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, length of stay in ICU, postoperative length of stay, and pulmonary complication rates.