The role of surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic: The experience of the Surgery Clinic of the Clinical Hospital Center 'Zemun'

Abstract

Introduction: In December 2019, the existence of a new type of disease, caused by SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was discovered in the city of Wuhan, the Republic of China. The disease itself is characterized by a large number of patients with moderate and severe clinical presentation, who require hospital treatment. The organization of the healthcare system of Serbia, during the aforementioned pandemic, has required the engagement of all doctors, regardless of their specialty, in the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Surgeons of all branches, from the Surgery Clinic of the Clinical Hospital Center Zemun, were directly engaged in the treatment of both primary manifestations of the virus and the numerous surgical complications arising in the wake of this disease, but also in the treatment of primary acute surgical diseases in COVID-19-positive patients. Aim: The aim of this paper is to present the functioning of the Surgery Clinic of CHC Zemun, in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to present the types and results of surgical procedures performed in patients with the COVID-19 infection. Methods: This study was conceived as a retrospective study and was conducted in the period between February 2020 and April 2021, in patients who had undergone emergency surgery and in whom the COVID-19 infection had previously been verified. A total of 232 patients surgically treated at the level of the entire Surgery Clinic of the CHC Zemun participated in the study. Results: Chest drainage, due to the development of pneumothorax, accounted for a quarter of all surgical procedures performed, while, in 53.85% of cases, surgical treatment was undertaken due to acute abdomen of various etiology, and in 21.15% of cases, due to vascular diseases. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic is, in itself, a major challenge for the entire healthcare system. The role of the surgeon is significant, both in organization and in direct treatment, which is additionally complicated by the uniqueness of the entire situation and the severity of the disease itself. In addition to their involvement in the treatment of the COVID-19 infection itself, surgeons were, in a large number of cases, engaged in their primary activity in health care, i.e., in the treatment of surgical diseases and complications of COVID-19, performing demanding surgical procedures in very difficult and unique conditions.