Vascular complications associated with COVID-19 Results of a survey of the Austrian Society for Vascular Surgery (OGG)

Introduction: We initiated a survey in the name of the Austrian Society of Vascular Surgery (oGG) to determine the experiences of vascular departments in Austria in terms of the frequency of complications related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients undergoing vascular surgery.Methods: 16 departments for vascular surgery in Austria were invited to participate in the online survey (SurveyMonkey (R)) in October 2022 (response rate 75%; n = 12). Questions were based on subject-specific literature connected to vascular complications of patients after a recent COVID-19 infection or a recent COVID-19 vaccination.Results: At the time of the survey there was mandatory COVID-19 testing as a premise for hospitalization (100%) and frequently problematic respiratory complications and/or hypercoagulability in patients with a COVID-19 infection. Vascular complications as a result of infections assigned to COVID-19 in the departments' patient collective: acute limb ischemia (reported in 92% of the centers), bypass occlusion (33%), visceral artery occlusion (58%), aortic thrombosis (33%) and thrombosis of the carotid artery (17%). Furthermore, 83% of the departments reported a delayed treatment of wounds during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an increase of major (67%) and minor (58%) amputations. Vascular complications after a recent COVID-19 infection were rare and included acute limb ischemia (25% of centers) and bypass occlusion (17%).ConclusionsArterial complications associated with COVID-19 differ in number and complexity depending on the localization. Vascular complications after COVID-19 vaccination are very rare. Due to frequent postoperative complications, operations and interventions on patients with a distinctive COVID-19 infection should only be performed in patients with urgent indications.