Perioperative complications among head and neck surgery patients with COVID-19. 

 -  2023 
<br/><br/> BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer (HNC) have potentially high perioperative complication rates. Recent studies indicate that preoperative COVID-19 infection poses increased risk for postoperative complications in other fields. However, to date, there has not been data showing the effect of COVID-19 on complication rates for HNC. Here, a large database was employed to assess if perioperative COVID-19 increased the risk of perioperative complications among those undergoing HNC surgery.  CONCLUSION: This large, retrospective populational study suggests HNC patients are at increased risk for death and several perioperative complications. This investigation is the first to address this clinical question. Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Head & Neck published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.  METHODS: A retrospective investigation was conducted using a multi-institutional research database. Subjects who underwent HNC surgery from January 2020 to September 2022 were identified using the International Classification of Diseases and Current Procedure Terminology codes. Thirty-day surgical and medical complications were assessed for those diagnosed with COVID-19 infection from 7 days before or after surgery compared to those who were COVID-19 negative. Cohorts were propensity scores matched by age, sex, and race.  RESULTS: Perioperative COVID-19 was present in n = 208 and absent in n = 15 158 subjects that underwent HNC surgery. For unmatched analyses, there was a statistically significant increased risk in the 30-day postoperative period in COVID-19-positive patients for the following surgical complications: surgical site fistula, free tissue transfer (FTT) complication, FTT failure, and death. Additionally, there was a statistically significant increased risk in the 30-day postoperative period in COVID-19-positive patients for the following medical complications: ventilator support, pneumonia, vasopressor, acute renal failure, and myocardial infarction. 
<br/><br/><br/>English 
<br/><br/><label>ISSN: </label>1043-3074 
<br/><br/><label>Standard No.: </label>10.1002/hed.27531 [doi] 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>*COVID-19<br/>*Head and Neck Neoplasms<br/>*Myocardial Infarction<br/>Head and Neck Neoplasms/co [Complications]<br/>Head and Neck Neoplasms/su [Surgery]<br/>Humans<br/>Multicenter Studies as Topic<br/>Myocardial Infarction/et [Etiology]<br/>Postoperative Complications/ep [Epidemiology]<br/>Postoperative Complications/et [Etiology]<br/>Retrospective Studies
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Geographic Terms: </label><br/>MedStar Washington Hospital Center
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Occupation: </label><br/>MedStar Georgetown University Hospital/MedStar Washington Hospital Center<br/>Otolaryngology<br/>Otolaryngology Residency
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Function: </label><br/>Journal Article