COVID -19 and Abdominal Pain, Report of 3 Negative Laparotomies

The global spread of coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) and various reports indicate a change in the symptoms caused by the virus and gastrointestinal symptoms becoming an important part of the diagnostic symptoms of the virus. The most common gastrointestinal symptoms include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The probable cause of abdominal symptoms in these patients is the presence of the virus in the digestive system and stimulation of the immune system, followed by the release of inflammatory mediators leading to manifestation of symptoms in this part of the body, causing symptoms of peritoneal irritation. Due to the high physiological stress of surgery, deciding on surgery in patients infected with the virus, who have abdominal pain and a positive abdominal examination is a new challenge for physicians and medical staff. In this study, we introduce three patients with COVID-19 who underwent surgery due to abdominal pain and a positive abdominal examination for peritonitis but had normal findings in surgery, and surgery increased mortality.