The influence of recent COVID-19 infection on patients undergoing thyroid surgery: Clinical outcomes and patient perception observations

Our research observed the condition and potential surgical risks of patients who have previously contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and subsequently underwent thyroid surgery. A research cohort of 140 patients undergoing thyroid surgery within our institution between October 2022 and March 2023. Patients were categorized into 4 distinct groups, factoring in varying stages post their COVID-19 infection. The study documented various pre- and postoperative clinical data, as well as the patients' subjective experiences. There existed no statistically significant distinction in the incidence of postoperative adverse reactions (P = .81) or the pharyngalgia score (P = .57) among the different patient groups. The statistical analysis revealed the severe acute respiratory syndrome-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels emerged as a critical positive correlation factor, signifying an escalated probability of postoperative adverse events (r = 0.31, P = .02). However, the levels of IgG are not affected by the extent of vaccination, and it do not exert a significant impact on postoperative pharyngalgia, pulmonary focal exudate, or tumor progression. Furthermore, the probability of postoperative adverse reactions heightened when patients still exhibited incomplete absorption of lung infection lesions on preoperative lung CT (r = 0.11, P = .04). With a thorough preoperative assessment, early thyroid surgery following COVID-19 infection is feasible. It is recommended to incorporate IgG testing as an indicator for assessing adverse surgical events.