Appendectomy in patient with suspected COVID-19 with negative COVID-19 results: A case report

Kim, Changho; Kim, Jong Kun; Yeo, In Hwan; Choe, Jae Young; Lee, Jeong Eun; Kang, So Jeong; Park, Chan Sub; Kwon, Ki Tae; Hwang, Soyoon

BACKGROUND: Even at present, we are in the middle of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and are facing challenges in trial and error. Presently, emergency surgery for patients with suspected COVID-19 is burdensome not only for patients but also for healthcare workers. Therefore, we established a surveillance system in the emergency room and established principles for managing patients suspected of COVID-19 who require emergency surgery. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old man was diagnosed with appendicitis in March 2020. His wife was diagnosed with COVID-19 10 d earlier, and the patient was in close contact with her. The patient tested negative twice on an upper respiratory COVID-19 reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction screening test, but chest X-ray and chest computed tomography revealed patchy ground-glass opacity in both upper lobes of the patient’s lungs. The same emergency surgery procedure for patients with confirmed COVID-19 was applied to this patient suspected of having the disease to ensure that surgery was not delayed while waiting for the reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction results. A few hours after surgery, the upper respiratory tract specimen taken in the emergency room was negative for COVID-19 but the lower respiratory tract specimen was found to be positive for the disease. CONCLUSION: When COVID-19 is suspected, emergency surgery should be performed as for confirmed COVID-19 without delay.