Infectivity of 14 patients with latent COVID-19 infection in operating room and their postoperative outcomes

Objective: To analyze the infectivity of latent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the operating room, and describe their postoperative outcomes Methods: Fourteen surgical patients with latent SAR-CoV-2 infection in January 2020, in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were selected as the research objects We investigated the contact infection between medical staff and patients The general information, clinical symptoms and signs, and postoperative outcome of the patients were also analyzed Results: In the operating room, 42 healthcare workers (47 person-times in total) were isolated under medical observation after contacting with the patients At last, 3 healthcare workers were diagnosed as COVID-19 All these 14 patients were laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 3-7 days after surgery In terms of signs and symptoms, 12 patients had fever, 10 patients felt fatigue, and 9 patients had dry cough In terms of postoperative outcome, 1 patient died, 13 patients (including 1 mild, 7 general, and 5 severe cases) were transferred to the designated hospitals according to the local health committee Conclusion: Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are highly infectious even in the operating room environment The stress of anesthesia and operation may exacerbate the progression of COVID-19, and worsen the outcome of patients © 2020, Editorial Board of Medical Journal of Wuhan University All right reserved