Background There are data on the safety of cancer surgery and the efficacy of preventive strategies on the prevention of postoperative symptomatic COVID-19 in these patients. But there is little such data for any elective surgery. The main objectives of this study were to examine the safety of bariatric surgery (BS) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to determine the efficacy of perioperative COVID-19 protective strategies on postoperative symptomatic COVID-19 rates. Methods We conducted an international cohort study to determine all-cause and COVID-19-specific 30-day morbidity and mortality of BS performed between 01/05/2020 and 31/10/2020. Results Four hundred ninety-nine surgeons from 185 centres in 42 countries provided data on 7704 patients. Elective primary BS (n = 7084) was associated with a 30-day morbidity of 6.76% (n = 479) and a 30-day mortality of 0.14% (n = 10). Emergency BS, revisional BS, insulin-treated type 2 diabetes, and untreated obstructive sleep apnoea were associated with increased complications on multivariable analysis. Forty-three patients developed symptomatic COVID-19 postoperatively, with a higher risk in non-whites. Preoperative self-isolation, preoperative testing for SARS-CoV-2, and surgery in institutions not concurrently treating COVID-19 patients did not reduce the incidence of postoperative COVID-19. Postoperative symptomatic COVID-19 was more likely if the surgery was performed during a COVID-19 peak in that country. Conclusions BS can be performed safely during the COVID-19 pandemic with appropriate perioperative protocols. There was no relationship between preoperative testing for COVID-19 and self-isolation with symptomatic postoperative COVID-19. The risk of postoperative COVID-19 risk was greater in non-whites or if BS was performed during a local peak.

Graphical Abstract The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the receptor for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is highly expressed in adipose tissue, possibly associated with progression to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in obese subjects. We searched the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and reanalyzed the GSE59034 containing microarray data from subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) biopsies from 16 women before and 2 years after RYGB, and 16 controls matched by sex, age, and BMI. After RYGB, there was a significant decrease in sWAT ACE2 gene expression (logFC=-0.4175, P =0.0015). Interestingly, after RYGB the sWAT ACE2 gene expression was significantly lower than in non-obese matched controls (LogFC=-0.32875, P =0.0014). Our data adds to the well-known benefits of RYGB, a potential protective mechanism against COVID-19.

Summary Background Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is an effective treatment for adolescents with severe obesity. Objectives This study examined the safety of MBS in adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Methods This was a global, multicentre and observational cohort study of MBS performed between May 01, 2020, and October 10,2020, in 68 centres from 24 countries. Data collection included in‐hospital and 30‐day COVID‐19 and surgery‐specific morbidity/mortality. Results One hundred and seventy adolescent patients (mean age: 17.75 ± 1.30 years), mostly females (n = 122, 71.8%), underwent MBS during the study period. The mean pre‐operative weight and body mass index were 122.16 ± 15.92 kg and 43.7 ± 7.11 kg/m2, respectively. Although majority of patients had pre‐operative testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) (n = 146; 85.9%), only 42.4% (n = 72) of the patients were asked to self‐isolate pre‐operatively. Two patients developed symptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2 infection post‐operatively (1.2%). The overall complication rate was 5.3% (n = 9). There was no mortality in this cohort. Conclusions MBS in adolescents with obesity is safe during the COVID‐19 pandemic when performed within the context of local precautionary procedures (such as pre‐operative testing). The 30‐day morbidity rates were similar to those reported pre‐pandemic. These data will help facilitate the safe re‐introduction of MBS services for this group of patients.

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RESUMO Introdução: O uso da telepresença cresce com o avanço da integração de tecnologias à prática médica. No que tange a cirurgia, a comunicação à distância efetiva pode traduzir-se em um melhor cuidado perioperatório. No entanto, a percepção das partes acerca desta modalidade carece de avaliação científica. Questionários estruturados através de escalas são os instrumentos de escolha na mensuração de aspectos subjetivos. Entretanto, não há uma ferramenta validada neste molde em língua portuguesa. Nosso objetivo foi traduzir e adaptar para língua portuguesa um questionário específico de percepção sobre o uso de robôs de telepresença em visita hospitalar pós-cirúrgica. Métodos: foi realizada busca no PubMed e selecionado um conjunto de questionários validados em língua inglesa. Após, realizada a tradução para a língua portuguesa conforme as boas práticas para o processo de tradução e adaptação cultural. A autora original avaliou e aprovou a versão traduzida. Resultados: foram traduzidos três questionários autoaplicáveis e direcionados para os pacientes que recebem a visita por telepresença ou presencial e à equipe médica que acompanha as visitas com o objetivo de avaliar a visita hospitalar assistida por robô de telepresença. O conjunto utiliza a escala de Likert e contêm treze perguntas que abordam as esferas Comunicação; Dignidade e Confidencialidade; Conteúdo; Tempo; Impressões Gerais. Conclusões: este é o primeiro instrumento em língua portuguesa desenhado para avaliar a impressão de pacientes e profissionais envolvidos em rounds utilizando um robô de telepresença, tendo potencial para ser utilizado em estudos clínicos que envolvam a utilização desta tecnologia na assistência.