Materials and Methods: The patients who underwent surgery at Thoracic Surgery Department between March 11, 2020, and October 11, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated retrospectively. The precautions and new preoperative procedures in our thoracic surgery clinics were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: A total of 1177 patients were treated in thoracic surgery clinics, 299 underwent surgery under general anesthesia during the pandemic, and 948 patients were excluded. Common complications were prolonged air leakage and pleural effusion, and complications occurred in 16.4% of the patients. The mortality rate was 1%. One of the patients with bullae excision due to prolonged air leakage (with COPD) was diagnosed on the fifth postoperative day, another with right pneumonectomy had radiological findings compatible with COVID-19 on the fourth postoperative day, despite negative PCR results four times, and the third patient with thymoma who underwent extended thymectomy without any COVID-19 findings were deceased.

Conclusions: Considering that COVID-19 increases mortality due to increased inflammation and pulmonary involvement, COVID-19 infection co-occurring surgical interventions of the lung will adversely affect the patient’s prognosis and cause an increase in transmission. While caution should always be exercised in all surgical procedures in the pandemic, more severe precautions should be taken in thoracic surgery operations. Implementing comprehensive protective measures such as preoperative PCR test, thorax CT before surgery, quarantine, and disinfection are essential to control nosocomial infection. Keywords : COVID-19, thoracic surgery, pandemics