Cardiothoracic surgery in the midst of a pandemic: Operative outcomes and maintaining a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–free environment

Abstract

ObjectiveIn the United Kingdom, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the cessation of elective surgery. However, there remains a need to provide urgent and emergency cardiac and thoracic surgery as well as to continue time-critical thoracic cancer surgery. This study describes our early experience of implementing a protocol to safely deliver major cardiac and thoracic surgery in the midst of the pandemic. MethodsData on all patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery at a single tertiary referral center in London were prospectively collated during the first 7 weeks of lockdown in the United Kingdom. A comprehensive protocol was implemented to maintain a COVID-19–free environment including the preoperative screening of all patients, the use of full personal protective equipment in areas with aerosol-generating procedures, and separate treatment pathways for patients with and without the virus. ResultsA total of 156 patients underwent major cardiac and thoracic surgery over the study period. Operative mortality was 9% in the cardiac patients and 1.4% in thoracic patients. The preoperative COVID-19 protocol implemented resulted in 18 patients testing positive for COVID-19 infection and 13 patients having their surgery delayed. No patients who were negative for COVID-19 infection on preoperative screening tested positive postoperatively. However, 1 thoracic patient tested positive on intraoperative bronchoalveolar lavage. ConclusionsOur early experience demonstrates that it is possible to perform major cardiac and thoracic surgery with low operative mortality and zero development of postoperative COVID-19 infection.