Mortality and Pulmonary Complications in Patients Undergoing Surgery With Perioperative SARS-CoV-2 Infection: An International Cohort Study

An international, multicenter, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries including all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed. Mortality in patients with SARS-CoV-2 was mainly in those who had postoperative pulmonary complications, which was about 50% and at a rate far higher than the pre-pandemic baseline. As hospitals resume routine surgery, it is likely to be in environments that remain exposed to SARS-CoV-2. This study concludes that strategies are urgently required to minimize in-hospital SARS-CoV-2 transmision and mitigate the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients whose surgery cannot be delayed.