Background Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who undergo surgery have impaired postoperative outcomes and increased mortality. Consequently, elective and semi-urgent operations on the increasing number of patients severely affected by COVID-19 have been indefinitely postponed.in many countries with unclear implications on disease progression and overall survival. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the establishment of a standardized screening program for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is sufficient to ensure high-quality medical and surgical treatment of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients while minimizing in-hospital SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Methods The screening program comprised polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of nasopharyngeal swabs and a standardized questionnaire about potential symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 infection. All elective and emergency patients admitted to the surgical department of a tertiary-care hospital center in Lower Franconia, Germany, between March and May 2020 were included and their characteristics were recorded. Results Out of the study population (n = 657), 509 patients (77.5%) had at least one risk factor for a potentially severe course of COVID-19 and 164 patients (25%) were active smokers. The average 7-day incidence in Lower Franconia was 24.0/100,000 during the observation period. Preoperative PCR testing revealed four asymptomatic positive patients out of the 657 tested patients. No postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection or transmission could be detected. Conclusion The implementation of a standardized preoperative screening program to both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients can ensure high-quality surgical care while minimizing infection risk for healthcare workers and potential in-hospital transmission.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Screening, PCR, Elective surgery, 【초록키워드】 Treatment, coronavirus disease, coronavirus, SARS-COV-2 infection, hospital, Transmission, Symptom, surgical, outcome, risk factor, healthcare worker, Disease progression, Nasopharyngeal swab, PCR testing, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, survival, Characteristics, Asymptomatic, Germany, implementation, Patient, infection risk, incidence, Care, questionnaire, patients, In-hospital, acute respiratory syndrome, study population, average, observation period, increased mortality, active smokers, Lower, implication, country, preoperative, polymerase chain, Course, Result, tested, affected, evaluate, undergo, postoperative, positive patient, were recorded, non-COVID-19 patient, 【제목키워드】 Safety, retrospective, Vascular, single-center study,