Early Outcomes of Cardiac Surgical Patients Who Developed COVID-19 in the Peri-Operative Period-Results from An Online Survey

Coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in global disruption of cardiac surgical practice. More worrisome is the impact of COVID on cardiac surgical patients, especially in the immediate post-operative period. Although several smaller studies (n < 35) have reported higher surgical mortality in the setting of peri-operative COVID-19 infection, outcomes specific to cardiac surgery are sparse [1]. COVID Surg Collaborative analyzed the outcome of 1128 surgical patients with peri-operative COVID-19 positivity across various specialties in 235 hospitals spread over 25 countries. They reported an overall 30-day mortality of 23.8% [2]. The recent United Kingdom (UK)–based study analyzed 755 adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery, of which 53 (7.0%) patients had peri-operative COVID diagnosis. They reported a 30-day mortality rate of 24.5% vs. 3.5% (p =  < 0.0001) in COVID-positive versus COVID-negative cases [1], which sheds some light on the impact of the pandemic on cardiac surgical outcomes. There is a paucity of data from India regarding its impact on outcomes after cardiac surgery. Hence, we undertook an online questionnaire to study the early outcomes of patients who underwent cardiac surgery and who developed COVID during the in-hospital admission period.

The development of peri-operative COVID in cardiac surgery was associated with very high mortality. We believe that it is time for us as a fraternity to introspect and adapt to the changing practice environment, furthered by research and revision of guidelines. “In the rush to get back to normal, use this time to decide which parts of normal are worth rushing back to” (Dave Hollis, French author).