真Check for updatesAnaesthesia 2023doi10.1111/anae.16061GuidelinesTiming ofelective surgery and risk assessment afterSARS-CoV-2 infection:2023 updateA multidisciplinary consensus statement on behalf ofthe Association of Anaesthetists,Federation of Surgical Specialty Associations,Royal College of Anaesthetists andRoyal College of Surgeons of EnglandK.El-Boghdadly,2T.M.Cook,3.4T.Goodacre,5J.Kua,6.7S.Denmark,8N.Mercer,S.R.Moonesinghe10 and D.J.Summerton11.121 Consultant,6,Trainee,Department of Anaesthesia and Peri-operative Medicine,Guy's and St Thomas'NHS FoundationTrust,London,UK2Honorary Senior Lecturer,King's College London,London,UK3 Consultant,Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine,Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Found ationTrust,Bath,UK4 Honorary Professor,University of Bristol,Bristol,UK5 Consultant,Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,Manor Hospital,Oxford,UK7 Fellow,10 Professor and Head,Centre for Peri-operative Medicine,University College Lond on,London,UK8 Chair,Patient Lay Group,Royal College of Surgeons of England,London,UK9Emeritus Consultant,Cleft Unit of the South West of England,Bristol Dental School,Bristol,UK11 Consultant,Department of Urology,Leicester General Hospital,Leicester,UK12 Honorary Professor,University of Leicester,Leicester,UKSummaryGuidance for the timing of surgery following SARS-CoV-2 infection needed reassessment given widespreadvaccination,less virulent variants,contemporary evidence and a need to increase access to safe surgery.We,therefore,updated previous recommendations to assist policymakers,administrative staff,clinicians and,mostimportantly,patients.Patients who develop symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection within 7 weeks of planned surgery,including on the day of surgery,should be screened for SARS-CoV-2.Elective surgery should not usually beundertaken within 2 weeks of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.For patients who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection and who are low risk or having low-risk surgery,most elective surgery can proceed 2 weeksfollowing a SARS-CoV-2 positive test.For patients who are not low risk or having anything other than low-risksurgery between 2 and 7 weeks following infection,an individual risk assessment must be performed.This shouldconsider:patient factors (age;comorbid and functional status);infection factors (severity;ongoing symptoms;vaccination);and surgical factors(clinical priority;risk of disease progression;grade of surgery).This assessmentshould include the use of an objective and validated risk prediction tool and shared decision-making,taking intoaccount the patient's own attitude to risk.In most circumstances,surgery should proceed unless risk assessmentindicates that the risk of proceeding exceeds the risk of delay.There is currently no evidence to support delayingsurgery beyond 7 weeks for patients who have fully recovered from or have had mild SARS-CoV-2 infection.Correspondence to:K.El-BoghdadlyEmail:kariem.el-boghdadly@kcl.ac.ukRe-use o
