The South African Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) Surgical Outcomes Study

The infectious coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), caused by corona virus SARS-severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused significant disruption in surgical services to patients globally. Data from the COVIDSurg Cohort Study suggest mortality rates of patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 in the peri-operative period of up to 25.6% in emergency surgery and 18.9% in elective surgery. Based on estimates by the COVIDSurg Collaborative, large numbers of elective surgical procedures are cancelled. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare providers to 'shift from patient-centred ethics to public health ethics'. This has had impact on pre-operative testing for COVID-19, and scheduling of surgery. Currently, a provisional recommendation to delay surgery for at least four weeks after a positive COVID test, exists. Weighing the risk of surgery and potential complications during the COVID-19 pandemic, against the benefit of undergoing a surgical procedure to improve quality of life, remains difficult. A study to determine the long term effect of the pandemic on patient-reported outcome may provide guidance on how to safely return to surgical activity that are again more focused on individualized care. There is also the opportunity to record outcomes that are currently accepted as the standard for understanding longer term recovery after surgery.