The clinical consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with pancreaticoduodenectomy for malignant disease

Introduction. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has constrained healthcare units to reorganize hospital departments, substantially reducing their capacity to perform oncology-related surgeries. Despite the efforts to reduce the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during hospitalization, COVID-19 has complicated the recovery of many surgical patients. Our objective was to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the postoperative evolution of patients with pancreatic surgery. Cases presentation. We present four patients with pancreaticoduodenectomy for malignant disease, operated in our hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery department, who presented COVID-19 in the postoperative period, despite initial negative screening. 10% of patients who had pancreaticoduodenectomies were subsequently detected with minimal, moderate to severe forms of COVID-19 in the postoperative period, which led to an extension of the hospitalization period, in some cases, by up to five weeks. Conclusions. The side effects of COVID-19 pandemic are yet to have reached their limits. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is a complex surgery with high morbidity rates, but during the COVID-19 pandemics it has become more challenging.