Intraoperative Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in an Asymptomatic Patient: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with variable clinical presentations are encountered in the perioperative setting. While some have already been diagnosed and are symptomatic, others have undiagnosed, asymptomatic COVID-19. The latter group poses the greatest risk of transmission. Given limited capacities in most health care systems, diagnostic testing is mainly performed in symptomatic patients or those with relevant exposure. We report an intraoperative diagnosis of COVID-19 in an asymptomatic patient, prompted by clinical signs. To control a pandemic such as COVID-19, a high index of suspicion is pivotal when caring for asymptomatic patients in the perioperative setting.