Introduction
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to complicate
surgical care delivery for patients suffering from cardiovascular
disease. Additionally, the development of virulent coronavirus strains
increases the need for literature on post-operative complications
associated with COVID-19. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection
undergoing surgical procedures have been reported to have increased
post-operative complications and mortality.1-3 Knisely
et al reported increased morbidity and mortality in patients who
underwent urgent surgical procedures and contracted COVID-19 either pre-
or post-operatively.4 These findings are important
when considering cardiac surgical procedures, specifically coronary
artery bypass grafting (CABG) during this pandemic, since the Society of
Thoracic Surgeons (STS) describes most of these operations as
‘urgent’.5 In addition, the majority of cardiac
surgical patients are at increased risk of infection and death with
COVID‐19, as they are frequently of old age, obese, hypertensive, and
diabetic, with severe cardiac or pulmonary diseases.6
This case series describes the clinical course following a CABG
procedure in two patients that went on to develop COVID-19 infection
post-operatively. We aim to illustrate the similarities in clinical
presentation, but differences in eventual outcomes for both patients and
hypothesize the reasons for the differences. Institutional review board
approval was waived since this was a minimal risk, case se