Patient Outcome of Cardiac Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Performing cardiac surgery in the context of SARS-CoV2 infection is potentially at risk of marked post-operative hemodynamic failure (shock) due to the inflammatory reaction generated by the surgery and the extracorporeal circulation associated with the viral infection. In addition, in the absence of infection, 30-50% of patients will experience acute post-operative respiratory failure due to the combined effects of extracorporeal circulation and general anesthesia. The pulmonary tropism of the virus therefore is susceptible to increase in post-operative respiratory impairment.

Thus, the infection is likely to favor the occurrence of post-operative shock but also to aggravate respiratory failure and other post-operative organ failures.

Therefore, the investigators designed an observational study that aims at comparing two groups of patients:

• Cardiac or thoracic surgery patients with a negative Covid-19 PCR pre-operatively and in the 15 following days
• Cardiac or thoracic surgery patients with a positive Covid-19 PCR in the 15 days before surgery

Inclusion criteria

• Adults (age ≥18 years) undergoing cardiac or thoracic surgery
• With positive PCR in the 5 days before or after cardiac/thoracic surgery.

Exclusion criteria

• Minors