Preoperative screening for COVID-19: Results from a clinical diagnostic laboratory

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to determine what proportion of Turkiye’s preoperative patient population has tested positive for COVID-19 and to ascertain whether the increasing or decreasing trend in the numbers of positive preoperative patients resembles the general population of Turkiye during the same period. Materials and Methods: The study cohort involved of the 14,776 patients from various services between January 1-December 31, 2021 who needed preoperative COVID-19 test reports. The patient's SARS-CoV-2 RNA's were detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Results: SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positivity was detected in 422 (2.86%) patients, of which 59.72% (n = 252) were female and 40.28% (n = 170) were male; their mean age was 40.2 years. Of the 422 positive cases, 84.12% were young adults (18-65 years), and 9% were middle-aged (66-79 years). Positive cases involving those under the age of 18 were found to account for 5.22% (n = 22) of the total. The highest positivity rate was observed in April 2021 at 8.28% of all test requests, while the lowest positivity rate was observed in June 2021, at 0.36% of all test requests. The highest positivity rate of April was followed by March (5.07%), October (4.74%), and August (3.13%). Conclusion: In conclusion, the COVID-19 RT-PCR positivity rate in the series was detected as 2.85% in preoperative patients over the one year period. Monthly positivity rates in screening results are consistent with the number of cases seen in the general population.