Abstract: Background: In our last 2 months, we must face to the brand new condition which no medical centre has already really anticipated, the COVID-19 pandemic. As a new kind of pandemic, we should reschedule or must cancelled our elective gastrointestinal surgery. In some cases, like peptic ulcer complication such perforation and bleeding, emergency surgery would be still needed in this situation although it would increase the morbidity and mortality during this pandemic.
Methods: As our routine protocols, all patients whose will be need emergency surgery have been evaluated using rapid test for COVID-19. Acceptable level 3 PPE has been used. The risk factor for increasing post-operative morbidity and mortality would be recorded. All patients with peptic ulcer complication would be included, the patients which could not fit for emergency surgery during this study would be excluded.
Results: During the last 2 months period, 10 patients were included and evaluated on this study. 8 patients were man, 2 were women. 4 (40%) patients were > 60 years old and have cardio-pulmonary comorbid peri-operatively. The albumin level was > 2.5 mg/dL during emergency surgery. Inpatients mortality was found in 2 patients, all of those patients have been referred > 48 hours to the emergency department. The rest of patients were survived during this study with no more post-operative morbidity, the mean LOS was 8 days.
Conclusion: Delayed referral and cardio-pulmonary morbidity were the risk factors of inpatients mortality on emergency surgery of the peptic ulcer complication during COVID-19 pandemic.
