Surgery a big risk in COVID-19 patients

Patients who catch COVID-19 and then undergo surgery, including minor procedures, are at increased risk of dying, international research co-authored by a Gold Coast surgeon has found.

COVID-19 patients who undergo surgery, including minor procedures, are at greatly increased risk of dying, new global research co-authored by a Gold Coast surgeon has discovered.

The study recommends that non-critical surgery is cancelled if there is an outbreak.

The findings come from the international CovidSurg collaborative.

“This data should highlight the risk to Australia and New Zealand of failing to continue to control the current COVID-19 pandemic. If … a second wave adversely impacts our countries, high rates of death can be expected in Australia and New Zealand, and important surgery will almost certainly need to be cancelled as the risk of death is likely to be excessive,” said Professor David Watson, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons clinical director for its Clinical Trials Network.

Data from 1128 patients was analysed. Overall, 23.8 per cent of the patients undergoing surgery died within 30 days of their procedure.

High rates of death were seen across all subgroups, including elective surgery (18.9 per cent), emergency surgery (25.6 per cent), minor surgery such as appendectomy or hernia repair (16.3 per cent), and major surgery such as hip surgery or colon cancer surgery (26.9 per cent).

Mortality rates for patients having minor or elective surgery would normally be less than 1 per cent.

Dr Philip Townend, a surgeon from Gold Coast University Hospital, and a co-author, said: “This data shows how important it is that in Australia, if we are faced with a second surge of infections, that we reorganise surgery again to minimise the risk. Patients with COVID-19 infection should only have surgery if all other options have been exhausted.”