Covid-19 infection and postoperative follow-up of gynecological surgeries during the pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic represented a major societal change with significant repercussions. The reduction in the number of active health professionals due to sick leave caused by viral contaminations made many hospitals restructure their services to prevent the intra-hospital spread of COVID-19, in addition to helping them deal with the new context. Objective: To determine the prevalence of COVID-19 infection in patients who underwent gynecological surgical procedures in a tertiary hospital during the pandemic. Method: This is a retrospective, descriptive, analytical, single-center study. It was carried out based on the analysis of medical records and the application of a questionnaire to patients who underwent gynecological surgical procedures at two different times during the pandemic. The first was from March 15, 2020, to July 30, 2020, and the second was from January 1st to February 28, 2021, when there was already mass vaccination for the Brazilian population and there was greater knowledge about the novel coronavirus. Results: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of infection by the novel coronavirus between the periods evaluated, with 3% in 2020 and 7% in 2022 (n=41 and n=76 in the first and second moments, respectively). No cases of hospital readmission were recorded. Conclusion: The performance of gynecological surgeries during the pandemic period in the population studied had no impact on the increased rates of respiratory infection by COVID-19, which could happen considering the patient’s vulnerability in a hospital environment.