Emergency surgery amid ongoing pandemic in suspected COVID-19 with D1 perforation

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected working patterns of all emergency and regular surgical services. We report a case of emergency surgery amid this ongoing pandemic, in a suspected COVID-19 patient with D1 (duodenal) perforation. We did not wait for the real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) report for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to come, and proceeded with surgery with all safety protocols. We intend not to delay, for the better outcome of patient’s condition, the life-saving response alike we follow routinely. The pandemic scenario is expected to sustain for longer time. We assume, patients requiring acute care surgery with COVID-19 like symptoms (suspected or confirmed), should definitely be proceeded with surgery as earliest, following all safety protocols, and prevent undue and added morbidity and mortality during this pandemic crisis.