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. 2023 Aug 14;18(8):e0289878.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289878. eCollection 2023.

Patients' characteristics and 30-day mortality for those undergoing elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Shakera Ahmed  1   2 , Anwarul Karim  1   3 , Tanvir Kabir Chowdhury  1   2 , Orindom Shing Pulock  1 , Nowrin Tamanna  1   4 , Mastura Akter  1   5 , Puja Biswas  2 , Fahmida Afroz  2 , Susmita Dey Pinky  2 , Anika Nahrin Alabbi  2 , Tasnuba Raisa Jamil  2 , Zarin Tasnim  2 , Dipa Dev  2 , Mraching Marma  2 , Tasmiah Tahera Aziz  1 , Hafiz Ahmed Nazmul Hakim  6 , A K M Khairul Basher  6 , Nur Hossain Bhuiyan Shahin  6 , Tahmina Banu  1
Affiliations

Patients' characteristics and 30-day mortality for those undergoing elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Shakera Ahmed et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the surgical practice throughout the world, including elective surgical care. This study investigated the characteristics of patients undergoing elective surgery, the prevalence of COVID-19 infection, the surgical procedures performed, and 30-day mortality in general and pediatric surgical settings in selected tertiary-level hospitals in Bangladesh from November 2020 to August 2021.

Methods: This serial cross-sectional study included 264 patients scheduled for elective surgeries during the study period. All patients underwent COVID-19 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing within 24 hours before surgery. Data on age, sex, common comorbidities, surgical procedures, and 30-day mortality were collected and analyzed. Furthermore, comparisons were made between COVID-19 positive and negative patients.

Results: The prevalence of COVID-19 infection among patients was 10.6%. Older age, a history of major surgery within the last three months, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with COVID-19 infection. All COVID-19-negative patients underwent surgery, while only 46.4% of COVID-19-positive patients underwent surgery. The most common surgical procedures were related to the digestive system, breast, and urinary system. Only one patient (0.4%) died within 30 days after surgery among the COVID-19-negative patients, whereas two patients (7.1%) died among the COVID-19-positive patients: one before surgery and one after surgery.

Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into the characteristics, burden of COVID-19 infection, and 30-day mortality of patients undergoing elective surgery in tertiary care centers in Bangladesh during the pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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