Iranian Journal of Pediatric Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed to assess COVID-19 disease complications and its related 30-day mortality in pediatric patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection who had surgery.

Materials and Methods: A multi-center, prospective, brief report of pediatric patients who had surgery at 6 hospitals in 4 cities of Khuzestan Province, South-western Iran, one of the provinces with the highest prevalence and death rates due to COVID-19 disease. COVID-19 status and its effect on the course and outcome of the patients was investigated.

Results: 246 pediatric patients who had surgery between Jan 20 and Jun 01, 2020 with a 30-day follow-up period enrolled in the study. Four (1.62%) of the 246 patients who underwent surgery had perioperative COVID-19 infection. The most common symptoms included dyspnea, fever, and cough. Surgical procedures included total gastrectomy and esophagojejunostomy, bilateral pleural effusions tap, catheter placement for dialysis, and CV-line placement. Three patients had comorbidities including congestive heart failure (CHF), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and diabetes.

Conclusion: Based on our results, it can be said that the prevalence of this disease in children is lower than the average of the society; and the outcome in younger patients seems to be better. Though it seems that COVID-19 disease is a low risk and somehow benign condition in children undergoing surgery, but due to the unpredictable nature of the disease, public health recommendations at both general and special levels have been made by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the disease. Further studies with larger samples are necessary to confirm our findings and to clarify which age groups are at increased risk for developing severe COVID-19 infection and its related morbidities and death.