This retrospective study described the clinical characteristics and outcomes of the patients who were unintentionally scheduled for elective surgeries during the incubation period of COVID-19 infection (1). They found that 44% of patients needed ICU care. The overall mortality rate was 20.5%. A limitation of this study was its small sample size. Nevertheless, it’s findings suggest that COVID-19 infection is associated with significant perioperative morbidity and mortality.
(1) Lei, Shaoqing, Fang Jiang, Wating Su, Chang Chen, Jingli Chen, Wei Mei, Li-Ying Zhan, et al. 2020. “Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Surgeries during the Incubation Period of COVID-19 Infection.” EClinicalMedicine, April, 100331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100331.
