The Impact of COVID-19 on Immune System-Related Complications in Surgical Patients

The fatal outcome from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is attributed to terminal respiratory failure secondary to bilateral pneumonia from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In addition to the pulmonary complications, SARS-CoV-2 infection has been shown to initiate a profound dysfunction of the innate immune system, leading to systemic hyperinflammation resulting from complement activation and the “cytokine storm”. COVID-19 patients undergoing surgery are particularly vulnerable to immune-mediated adverse events, including thromboembolic and pulmonary complications and increased postoperative mortality, compared to SARS-CoV-2 negative surgical patients. The exact pathophysiology of the complex immune dysregulation leading to postoperative complications and fatalities in surgical COVID-19 patients remains poorly understood and represents the focus of investigation in the special issue of Frontiers in Surgery.

The goal of the special issue in Frontiers in Surgery is to provide novel insights into the understanding of the immune-mediated pathophysiology of postoperative complications and adverse outcomes in surgical patients with COVID-19. There are multiple promising opportunities with candidate anti-inflammatory pharmacological agents that may help attenuate the increased postsurgical mortality observed in COVID-19 patients. Novel insights from clinical trials and pharmacological experimental research may provide a “bench-to-bedside” approach to attenuate the adverse outcomes after surgical procedures in COVID-19 patients.

All submissions will undergo a formal peer review by at least 2 qualified referees.
The scope of the special issue of the journal includes, but is not limited to, the following article types and areas of research:
- Basic experimental research in the immune pathophysiology of COVID-19;
- Investigation of novel therapeutic and pharmacological approaches to attenuate the hyperinflammatory response of COVID-19;
- Surgical techniques, indications, and patient selection algorithms to improve the outcomes in the vulnerable cohort of surgical COVID-19 patients;
- Case reports that describe unusual experiences and important lessons learned in the surgical care of COVID-19 patients;
- Review articles that cover pertinent areas of research described above.

Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus disease, surgical complications, immune dysfunction, hyperinflammation, hypercoagulatibility, patient safety, risk stratification

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.