Postoperative pulmonary complications in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infected patients who underwent emergency surgery

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection increases the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) and mortality. Consequently, patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection undergoing emergency surgery are more vulnerable to PPCs, yet few studies have evaluated PPCs in these patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted between January 2022 and February 2023 on the medical records of patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 who underwent emergency surgery. The study evaluated the incidence of PPCs and 30‐day postoperative mortality in all enrolled patients. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients were enrolled, among whom PPCs occurred in seven patients (17%). The incidence of PPCs was statistically significant in patients with underlying diabetes compared to those without (p = 0.01) and in patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class 3 or higher compared to those with less than 3 (p = 0.005) (ASA classification uses a grading system of I (one) through V (five)). The 30‐day mortality rate was 4.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that the incidence of PPCs and 30‐day mortality rates after emergency surgery in patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 are higher compared to prepandemic baseline rates. Given the significant interest and concern worldwide regarding severe infectious respiratory diseases, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), clinicians should focus on conducting research to identify ways to reduce the incidence of PPCs and mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory infections.