Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection increases risk of early postoperative cardiovascular complications following noncardiac surgery
Gopika SenthilKumar, Nathaniel B. Verhagen, Salma A. Sheriff, Xin Yang, Carlos E. Figueroa Castro, Anikó Szabó, Bradley Taylor, Njeri Wainaina, Kathryn K. Lauer, Jon C. Gould, Anai N. Kothari
Abstract
With an increasing proportion of patients undergoing surgery with a prior history of COVID-19, it is crucial to understand the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on postoperative cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk. Our work assesses a large, national, multi-institutional cohort of patients to highlight that COVID-19 infection increases risk for postoperative major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACE). MACE risk is influenced by an interplay between disease severity and time between infection and surgery, and full vaccination reduces the risk for 30-day postoperative MACE. These results highlight the importance of stratifying time-to-surgery guidelines based on disease severity.