RESUMEN
As the cases of COVID-19 have declined, the number of patients who have recovered from the dreaded disease is reporting for elective or emergency surgeries. Surgical planning in patients who have recovered from COVD-19 requires special considerations because of the morbidity and mortality associated with the infection and its devastating after-effects. There is a distinct paucity of literature on guidelines and protocols to follow in the perioperative management of these patients. With the help of experience gained over the past 2 years of the 'COVID-19 era', we have been able to establish important recommendations, guidelines and useful protocols during perioperative management of COVID-recovered patients. These protocols include important anesthetic and surgical considerations, which are both practical as well as implementable and are also in cognizance with government-laid down advisories. Although SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily affects the pulmonary and cardiac systems, it has the potential for serious and severely affect multiple organs and various other body systems in erratic and unpredictable manner. All of these factors can have significant implications that make the perioperative management of post-COVID-19 patients, difficult and challenging. Considering the far-reaching and long-lasting effects of this infection on the human body, the protocols and recommendations presented in this article can serve as a valuable guide for clinicians to effectively manage the surgical patient and help reduce perioperative complications attributable to COVID-19 infection.
RESUMEN
The objective of this review is to provide a high level overview on current thinking for treatment of patients with combined carotid and coronary artery disease given that these patients are at higher risk of adverse cardiac events, stroke, and death. This review discusses (1) the current literature addressing perioperative stroke risk in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft, (2) the literature regarding different surgical approaches when both carotid and coronary revascularization are being considered, and (3) the data available to guide optimal management of this complex patient population to minimize complications regardless of the surgical approach taken.