The Effect of Previous COVID-19 Infection on Patient Outcomes After Colorectal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: Mortality and complication rates are increasing in emergency and delayed cancer surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, curing can be provided when colorectal cancer surgery is performed without delay. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the results in patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery after having COVID-19 infection during the pandemic process. Methods: Data on patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery after or without COVID-19 infection were recorded from the hospital’s electronic database and file records. It was investigated whether there was a difference in 30-day complication and mortality rates in patients with COVID-19 infection. Results: Of the 77 patients between the ages of 20 and 85 who underwent colorectal cancer surgery, 34 were female, 43 were male. Thirty six of the patients who were infected with the COVID-19 (Group-C), 41 of the patients had undergone surgery without infection (Group-N). There was no difference between the groups in terms of lenght of stay in Hospital and Intensive Care Unit. The 30-day mortality rate in Group-C was 11.1%. The 30-day complication rate in Group-C was significantly higher than in Group-N (p=0.048). The most common complication in Group-C was acute kidney injury (11.1%). Being infected with COVID-19 virus within 7 weeks before the operation had no effect on postoperative results. Conclusion: While the surgical procedure is optimized to prevent complications in patients with COVID-19, delaying surgery can lead to local-remote metastases due to waiting and losing the possibility of operation. Decisions should be made according to the patient’s status and planning should be made according to the risk-gain balance.