Postoperative complications in adult patients undergoing surgery with confirmed infection by SARS-CoV-2: An integrative review.
Erica Favaro, Daiane Rubinato Fernandes, Leticia Genova Vieira and 3 others
PMID 34755777WHAT IT FOUND
In adults with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 undergoing surgery, respiratory complications were common, including cough, dyspnea, hypoxia, imaging signs of pneumonia, and need for ventilation.
Fever and breathing changes may reflect infection rather than routine postoperative problems.
Key findings
01Respiratory complications were the main postoperative problems reported, including cough, dyspnea, hypoxia, severe respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, and need for mechanical ventilation.
02Postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms such as increased body temperature resemble common postoperative complications.
03Other reported complications included acute myocardial infarction, hypotension, acute cardiac injury, arrhythmia, septic shock, urinary tract infection, multiple organ dysfunction, second surgeries, unplanned ICU admission, and death.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included 15 heterogeneous studies, such as cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, case reports, case series, retrospective studies, and a letter to the editor. The search was done on August 19 2020, and all included studies were published in 2020. The review focused mainly on respiratory complications, which can limit what it says about other postoperative problems. 11 studies were classified as level IV or V evidence, and seven had vulnerable methodological quality, which can limit generalization.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as proof that SARS-CoV-2 infection alone caused the postoperative complications. It reports complications in patients who had surgery and infection. It does not test a treatment.