CovidSurg Studies and the Cardio-Thoracic Interdisciplinary Research Network
Surgical Patients and Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread disruption and overwhelmed healthcare services globally. The extent of this deviation from standard care for routine surgical patients, including those with potentially curable cancer, is unclear. Our understanding of the outcomes of patients undergoing surgery while suffering intercurrent infection with SARS CoV-2 remains limited. As such, there is uncertainty concerning how best to deliver safe surgical care.
The NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery based in Birmingham, UK through the CovidSurg Collaborative is leading two related but distinct studies to determine the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on surgical care throughout the world.
• CovidSurg – Cohort; an observational study on the short-term outcomes of any surgical patient with confirmed or suspected perioperative SARS CoV-2 infection
• CovidSurg – Cancer; which documents any variation from routine care for patients presenting to a cancer service with typically resectable malignancy
Patients may be registered in both studies. In many countries (including the UK), it can gain institutional approval as a service evaluation or clinical audit, meaning that patient consent is not required. Further information on this study is available at https://globalsurg.org/covidsurg/
The Cardio-Thoracic Interdisciplinary Research Network (CIRN) is partnering with the CovidSurg collaborative to lead subspecialty investigation and enhance the relevance, participation, and dissemination in cardiac and thoracic surgery across the globe. The work of the two subspecialties is being directed by two dedicated steering groups of international membership. All work will be published jointly under corporate authorship, with collaborators being indexed in PubMed as citable authors. If you are interested, please register at https://globalsurgery.redcap.bham.ac.uk/surveys/index.php?s=NEPERCE7RA
Further information is available at https://globalsurg.org/covidsurg/ and the Lancet publication can be found at https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31182-X/fulltext
If you are also interested in the subspecialty cardiac & thoracic work, please also email the CIRNetwork@outlook.com