SARS-CoV-2 During Abdominal Operations: Are Surgeons at Risk?

Romero-Velez, Gustavo; Rodriguez Quintero, Jorge H; Pereira, Xavier; Nussbaum, Jeffrey E; McAuliffe, John C

BACKGROUND: The safety of surgery in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive patients remains unclear. On the basis of data from other viral diseases, it has been assumed that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has the potential risk of transmission during surgery. The presence of the virus within the peritoneal fluid and the peritoneal tissues is not known. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective cross-sectional study including adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 who underwent surgery at a single institution. Using specific real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was determined in abdominal fluid samples. RESULTS: Six patients with COVID-19 underwent abdominal surgery. Five patients were asymptomatic, and 1 had severe disease. SARS-CoV-2 was tested in 20 different samples, all of which resulted negative. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 was not found in the peritoneal cavity of 6 patients undergoing abdominal surgery. The risk of transmissibility of COVID-19 during surgery is still unclear.