COVID-19 and Surgery: Getting Back to Business

In the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent that adult patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 before or after surgery were at increased risk of severe respiratory and thrombotic complications, with one major study reporting that close to one in four patients died within 30 days of surgery.¹  Most elective surgery was being canceled around the world, as intensive care units were overfull with critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection, and hospital staff required upskilling and supply of personal protective equipment. Deferred cancer and cardiovascular screening programs, and canceled surgery, had their own consequences.^2,3  Thankfully, this was followed by the rapid development and widespread uptake of both effective vaccines and drug treatments for COVID-19.⁴ 

In this issue of Anesthesiology, Aziz et al.⁵  undertook a retrospective observational cohort study of patients presenting for elective inpatient surgery across 37 U.S. academic...