Approaches to the Management of Elective Patients in General Surgery During Covid-19 Pandemic

Objective : Recently published papers have defined the clinical characteristics and overall outcomes of COVID-19 patients with the influence on the healthcare system. Especially, general surgeons are uniquely affected due to the broad range of procedures they perform, many of which are conducted routinely in the outpatient setting. This report aims to represent the clinical presentation and outcomes of elective surgical patients during the COVID-19 epidemic. We designed a retrospective study of elective surgeries from 13 March to 13 May 2020 in Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, a pandemic hospital in this period. Results: 45 patients included in the study underwent different severity and morbidity operations with general anesthesia. The ratio of female to male was 23/22. The mean age was 55 years. Mean Body Mass Indexes (BMI) was 28,5kg/m2. There were 13 co-morbid patients. The severity of the operations ranges from anal fistulectomy to abdominoperineal resection. Need for ICU developed in 9 patients (20%). Complications developed in only one of the patients, resulting in mortality (2,2%). Conclusion: Surgeons as leaders need to make the best decisions for their patients while being sensitive to the broader implications. The important aim is to protect patients as well as the medical team from unnecessary infection and to keep the healthcare system study effectively. There is a need for continuous adaptation of recommendations and guidelines in order not to deprive patients of their operations, whether COVID-19 positive or not.