Invited Commentary to: Lessons Learned in Elective Surgeries After 6 Pandemic Waves of SARS-COV-2—A Single European Center Experience

The SARS Cov-2 pandemic has affected patients and surgeons in many ways, including how we practice our profession. Not only was the virus extremely contagious, but reported morbidity and mortality were high. It took its toll on the medical community as staff fell ill or died. The high number of patients flooded the hospitals and tied up resources, including nurses and doctors, operating room capacity, and ICU beds. Staff were soon overwhelmed, and the medical infrastructure was rearranged to accommodate the onslaught of Covid 19 patients. Still, other conditions, including surgical conditions, needed to be treated. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that those patients who found a surgeon and were fortunate enough to get a slot for their surgery had high Covid 19-related postoperative morbidity and mortality [1]. From this, consensus recommendations and guidelines were developed to reduce the increased postoperative morbidity and mortality after Covid 19 infection. Of these, the "7-week rule," which states that elective surgery should be postponed for at least 7 weeks after the onset of Covid 19 infection, has been cited most frequently. …