Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Postoperative mortality and complications in patients with and without pre‐operative SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: a service evaluation of 24 million linked records using OpenSAFELY
Authors' conclusion
Clinicians within the English NHS followed national guidance by operating on very few patients within 7 weeks of a positive indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In England, surgical patients' overall risk following an indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection is lower than previously thought.
Study context
- Population
- Surgical procedures within the English NHS, 17 March 2018 to 17 March 2022
- Exposure
- Interval between most recent indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent surgery
- Outcome
- Hospital adherence to guidance not to operate within 7 weeks of an indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Methodological detailsretrospective cohort of linked records, OpenSAFELY platform, adapted COVIDSurg protocol
- Retrospective cohort of linked records
- OpenSAFELY platform
- Adapted COVIDSurg protocol
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Proportion of surgical procedures conducted within 7 weeks of an indication of SARS-CoV-2 infection
< 3%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Postoperative mortality after a positive test, era since widespread vaccine availability
- Surgery within 2 weeks of a positive test
- 1.1%
- Surgery by 4 weeks
- 0.3%
Outcomes vs COVIDSurg study cohort
- Better in English NHS cohort during COVIDSurg data collection period and pre-vaccine pandemic era
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
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