How soon after contracting Covid can I have surgery?

With almost 2 million Australians now having had Covid, it is no longer a small percentage of our population. This means that the “normal” health problems we treat will still need treatment despite patients being Covid positive, or recovered from Covid. One of many questions being asked now is how soon is too soon to have an anaesthetic after Covid?

The current evidence is based on studies of patients who have had the Delta strain and we are starting to see more evidence being collected around the Omicron strain as well. Major, elective surgery 0-4 weeks after Covid infection is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. Surgery performed 4-8 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection is still associated with an increased risk of pneumonia while surgery eight weeks after Covid-19 diagnosis is not associated with increased complications. (1)

For patients who have recovered from Covid, and are waiting for surgery, it is important to have this discussion with your surgeon so they are informed. They will also include their Anaesthetist as it is often a combined decision whether it is safe to proceed at the planned time.

If you want further information, please click here to contact Dr. Sungaran or his team

1 . Annals of Surgery November 2021: The Risk of Postoperative Complications following Major Elective Surgery in Active or Resolved COVID-19 in the United States