Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on surgical outcomes after hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in December 2019, has caused significant disruption in healthcare systems worldwide by creating enormous pressure on hospital capacity (1). This situation has impacted surgical patients both with and without COVID-19. Research conducted by the COVIDSurg collaborative has revealed that 28.4 million elective surgeries, including 2.3 million cancer surgeries, were cancelled or postponed due to a shortage of intensive care capacity over a 12-week period of peak disruption to hospital services in 2020 (2-4). Another issue is that the fear of perioperative mortality in patients undergoing major surgery for hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) cancer, related to COVID-19, also affected the allocation of surgery. It is therefore essential for HPB surgeons to well understand the perioperative risk and management of HPB surgery during the pandemic.