The effect of COVID-19 history on preoperative anxietyand intraoperative complications in patientsundergoing elective cesarean section

Aim: There are studies in the literature that investigate preoperative anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic period. However, there have been no studies investigating the relationship between COVID history and anxiety in patients undergoing elective cesarean section. For this reason, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of having a history of COVID on preoperative anxiety and intraoperative complications in patients undergoing elective cesarean section. Materials and Methods: After our study was approved by the local ethics committee, a total of 200 patients who were scheduled for elective cesarean section were divided into two groups as those with a history of Covid-19 disease in the last 1 year (Group C, n=100) and those without a history (Group K, n=100). The anxiety of preoperative patients was evaluated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) I and II. Patients during the preoperative waiting period, intraoperative period (after surgical incision 0.dk, 15.dk, 30.dk, 45.dk, 60.dk, 90.dk) and in the postoperative sobering-up unit, heart rate, mean arterial pressure and SpO 2 values were recorded on the follow-up chart. In addition, intraoperative complications and the Apgar score of the infants were also recorded. Results: In this study, when we compared the preoperative condition (STAI- 1) and continuity (STAI-2) anxiety of pregnant women with and without a history of COVID-19 in pregnant women who will have an elective cesarean section, a significant difference was found in STAI-1 anxiety level. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the development of complications during intraoperative and postoperative follow-up. Conclusion: In our study, it was found that anxiety scores were high in most of the pregnant women who were going to have an elective cesarean section. It was concluded that the pandemic process increases this anxiety, and the fact that the patient himself had the disease had a significant effect on anxiety. We believe that high anxiety can affect perioperative complications and neonatal apgar scores, so it is an issue that needs to be carefully addressed in terms of both maternal and newborn health. Key Words: Preoperative Anxiety, Covid-19, Elective Cesarean Section, Intraoperative Complication.