Surgeries Performed Within 3 Months in the Neurosurgery Clinic of a Coronavirus Disease-2019 Hospital and Its Effects on Coronavirus Disease-2019 Transmission

Objective: Health workers are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and are unfortunately the occupational group with the highest risk of infection. For this reason, as in all surgical branches, neurosurgery organisations have recommended postponing or limiting surgeries during the pandemic to reduce the risk of transmission. In our literature review, no study reported the number of neurosurgeons infected with COVID-19 following surgeries performed during the first 3 months of the pandemic. This study examined surgeries performed during the first 3 months of the pandemic in Turkey and COVID-19 transmission to neurosurgeons involved in these cases. Methods: Records of 188 patients who underwent surgery in our neurosurgery clinic during the first wave of the pandemic in Turkey (March 11-31 May 2020) were examined retrospectively. Characteristics of the operations performed, COVID-19 tests performed and results, intraoperative measures taken and frequency of COVID-19 symptoms among neurosurgeons after the surgery were determined. Results: Of the 188 patients included in the study, none had a definitive diagnosis of COVID-19 at the time of surgery. However, 25 patients (13.29%) had a history of unsafe contact or symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. Moreover, 9 (36%) patients had a positive result from the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test. A total of nine neurosurgeons who participated in surgeries were included in the study and none of them exhibited COVID-19 symptoms during the 3-month pandemic period. Conclusion: Although many surgeries were performed during the first wave of the pandemic in Turkey, with some simple precautions, none of the neurosurgeons developed COVID-19. We think that this is a pioneering study since this quantitatively demonstrates the extent of COVID-19 transmission to neurosurgeons during surgery.