Surgical Management and Outcome of Patients with Thyroid Diseases during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Globally, healthcare authorities have reacted by restricting medical care to emergency cases and postponing elective surgical procedures of all types. Elective surgeries have been almost totally postponed keeping to a minimum the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and to allow a better allocation of resources. Since thyroid surgery usually does not cover immediate surgical interventions, during this pandemic nearly all the patients who require thyroid surgery care are experiencing delays in the operation planning procedure.
Objective: The aim of the work was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on thyroid surgery.
Subjects and methods: We conducted prospective study from August 2020 to February 2021 among all patients who attended to Damanhur Medical National Institute Hospital. Total sample size was 60 patients and patients with positive COVID-19 were enrolled in group 1 (cases) and those who were negative COVID-19 were enrolled in group 2 (controls).
Results: A total of 60 patients were seen during the study period. Males were 35 (58.3%) while females were 25 (41.7%). The mean age 39.5± 9.5 years. There is no statistically significant difference between patients with COVID-19 and patients without COVID-19 regarding developing complications from thyroid surgeries.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a complicated set of issues for patients with endocrine-related cancers. Most thyroid cancers are indolent and so postponement of surgery in the era of COVID-19. There is no significant association between COVID-19 and complications of surgery.